


An Arm and a Leg

by moorelets



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Friends to Lovers, mostly bumbleby with a little hint of white rose, very angsty i'm sorry, will also be cute tho hopefully
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:52:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 65,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moorelets/pseuds/moorelets
Summary: Yang has it bad for the dark, brooding clerk at her local store, not knowing just how dark the girl's life really is. When she impulsively gets herself involved, everything will change. The only trouble is, her heart isn't the only thing she'll end up losing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys! this is my first fic in the RWBY fandom but i just love these kids too much not to write them! i really hope i did the characters justice!
> 
> a little note: this first chapter includes some mild violence and implied rape. nothing /too/ graphic but if either of these things have the tendency to trigger you, please don't read!
> 
> don't worry, things in this story won't always be so dark! please enjoy!

“Yaaaaang! Don’t forget the cookies this time!”

Yang rolled her eyes as she slammed the door.

Sure, she’d left behind Ruby’s precious cookies that _one_ time, but it was only because the ridiculously beautiful clerk had looked at her for half a second when she handed her the change. And she’d only let her fingers brush against Yang’s palm for another half second, telling her to come again in her low, monotonous voice that didn’t seem all that convincing.

The only thing that that had convinced Yang to do was sprint away from the store, red-faced and heart pounding, one particular bag of cookies flying out of the bag as she ran.

As if Yang would _purposely_ forget her baby sister’s favourite breakfast, lunch and dinner - which Ruby would always argue _was_ a nutritious meal but only if dunked in milk.

Yang hummed a tune as she stepped into the store, determined not to let her heart get the best of her this time. But when she looked up, straight into the narrow eyes of the dark haired clerk, she felt her knees go weak.

The tiny store was empty and Yang was pretty certain she could feel the girl’s eyes on her the whole time, like a predator waiting to pounce. Maybe she could sense Yang’s nervousness or maybe it was just _so_ obvious by how quickly she rushed around, almost knocking over a precariously stacked tower of tins.

After grabbing three bags of cookies, she stepped up to pay, fumbling around in her pockets. Jeez, she wasn’t usually such a nervous wreck. In fact, it was Ruby who had trouble talking to people. Yang, though? Yang was usually all talk, all jokes, all confidence.

“That’ll be 30 Lien.”

Yang took a shot and grinned across at the dark haired girl. Then, she breathed in. All talk, all jokes, all confidence. “Whoa, that’s kind of a lot, huh? You better not be Lien to me!”

“I’m not. Here, take a look,” she said, handing Yang the receipt.

“Uh… it was a joke. Lien… lying. They sound pretty si-” Her shoulders slumped. “Rubes is right. It’s not funny if I have to explain it.”

Then, to Yang’s surprise, the girl grimaced as if she were in some small amount of pain. “It was funny.”

“Yeah. I can tell by the way you didn’t laugh,” Yang replied, hanging her head in shame.

The girl, who Yang had cleverly figured out was named Blake by the name tag on her chest, smiled. “Sorry,” she said, looking away. “I’m not used to laughing while at work. It’s always the same boring routine. Sometimes I forget I can smile.”

“You should do it more,” Yang blurted out, making Blake widen her eyes. “Smile, I mean. I can come here every day if you want, fire you up with some puns!”

“There’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

Yang had bombarded Blake with a few more of her best puns before her shift had ended and they’d decided to walk home together. Apparently Blake didn’t live far from the store, and closer still to Yang and Ruby’s shared apartment.

Everything Yang learnt about Blake as they walked only fed into her confusion over how her first embarrassing encounter with her had been her _only_ encounter.

Blake was majoring in literature at Beacon University, the same school Yang was attending, albeit lazily. In the end the only way Yang could make sense of it was that Blake knew how to blend in.

Which was becoming more obvious as their conversation died. Blake wasn’t the most talkative person. Not like Yang’s other boisterous friends like Nora and Coco. And she didn’t seem desperate to fill in silences either. Something that Yang decided she liked.

They continued walking, Yang swinging her two bags with each step. “So... do you live alone?” She wasn’t sure what prompted her to ask the personal question, but Blake’s reaction told her everything.

She paled, which was impressive considering just how pale Blake already was. Her eyes shifted and she crossed her arms across her chest, nails digging into skin. “No, I live with my boyfriend.”

“Oh, right, gotcha,” Yang said, feeling like she’d crossed a line. It was just like her to already have it bad for some girl with a boyfriend.

From that point on, there was tension laced into everything Blake said and she constantly peeked behind her, eyes uncertain, anxious.

“I guess this is where I leave you,” Yang mumbled when Blake gestured to a dreary looking apartment complex. Suddenly Yang understood why the dark haired girl had forgotten she could smile. Nothing about the place looked friendly and Yang was sure she could hear yelling from one of the open windows.

“Goodnight, Yang.”

Blake walked away, hands balled by her sides as if she were preparing for something. She had a shake in her step and Yang refused to go until Blake was safe inside.

The last thing Yang saw was a man with red hair grab Blake by the wrist and haul her around the corner without a word.

Heart pounding, Yang could only stand there, frozen.

That was just Blake’s boyfriend, right? There was no way he could be hurting her.

Another thundering yell came from the open window and Yang had no more excuses. It was dark and the air smelt like coming rain and Ruby would have to wait for her cookies.

Yang dropped her bags and rushed forward, mind racing, yelling at her to barge in there and make sure Blake was all right. But all she could think of was how much of an idiot she’d make herself look if it turned out that man had just grabbed Blake for a hug, or a kiss, or-

No, it wasn’t that.

And so, Yang pushed open the glass doors and crept through the lobby, floor strewn with garbage, graffiti clumsily sprayed on the walls - the biggest being the head of some kind of big cat, teeth bared. There were three lines through it in red and the paint had run down to the floor in places.

Closing her hands into fists, Yang made for the stairs, past a landing, listening out for any noise.

“What did I tell you?” a man’s voice asked, muffled somewhat. “Well?”

“I had the later shift tonight, I thought-”

“Oh, Blake, don’t pretend to think...”

Something smacked and something fell. Yang gritted her teeth, the sweat pouring off of her. Still, she crept forward, forward - until the floorboards gave and creaked where her boot came down. With a cringe, Yang twisted and leaned against the wall.

She never did learn not to dive right into things.

A lesson that almost came back to her when the red haired man’s head poked out from the doorway just down the hall. She could barely see him out of the corner of her eye as he shook his head and slammed the door, shaking the walls with the force.

More yelling, more thumping. Crying. Screaming.

Yang’s blood boiled, anger growing red hot inside her. She almost sprinted past the open door to her right, before she noticed just the thing she needed.

* * *

Adam had changed. Or, at least that was what Blake would tell herself every time he would beat her, either with words or with fists. She would convince herself that the man she had admired, even loved, was still in there, somewhere. Even if it was just a slither of his former self. Anything to rationalise why she hadn’t left yet.

He had her pinned to the wall, having dragged her up from the floor, his hands bloody, breath ragged. Then, he roughly pulled on her arms, leading her to the table. She shook her head violently, whimpering, begging.  
All he did was laugh, as he always did.

“Don’t fight, my darling.”

He buried his hand in her hair, forcing her to look at him before he kissed her. Rough, clumsy, unpleasant. She tried her best to pull away but he had already drained her of all her energy.

Blake was sure he wouldn’t rest until he had drained her of her life.

Eyes wide open, tears stinging as they threatened to fall, she struggled against him. When his hands dug into her stomach, trying to rip off her belt, she could only clamp her eyes closed and wish for it to be over.

Somewhere between him attacking the buttons on her black shirt and his fingernails drawing hard scratches along the back of her arms, Adam had dragged her to the floor.

“Stop,” Blake whimpered. “ _Please._ ”

“No. We’re doing what I want, Blake,” Adam spat, “because you seem to think you can stay out all night, doing whatever _you_ want to do. What about what I want, Blake, hm?” He caressed her cheek, stopping a stray tear with his thumb and Blake thought about how much even his soft touches hurt her.

Without another word, he gave up his assault on the buttons of her shirt and tore it open. Blake tried to scream but he caught it in a kiss. She widened her eyes and finally, finding the strength she had forgotten she had, tried throwing him off.

But Adam was heavy, strong and determined to punish her.

So Blake would do what she had quickly learnt was the only thing she _could_ do; let it happen. Let him have his way with her, let him use her. It would be over soon and she would be able to scramble off to the bedroom, lock the door and sob into her pillow. Adam would leave for an hour or two and then he’d return, usually drunk, and he would beg her forgiveness through the door. He would plead with her for a while, sometimes over an hour, swearing that he loved her and that he only did the things he did because Blake hurt him. She always hurt him.

“Why must you hurt me, Blake?” he would say, and she could always hear the resentment in his gravelly voice.

But, like always, she would forgive him, unlock the door and he would lay down next to her on the bed, stinking of alcohol, hands wandering over her body as he fell asleep.

Blake never got much sleep after the first time.

Adam unbuckled his belt, smirking down at her, a laugh on the tip of his tongue. Blake knew she had fight left in her, despite her shift at the store taking a lot of the energy out of her. The desire to fight, the itching in her fists to slam themselves into his chest, they only made it harder for her to close her eyes, grit her teeth and bear it.

Darkness overcame her sight. She kept her arms tightly by her sides, chest heaving, brow damp with sweat. She could hear Adam tug his belt off. She could hear the way his breathing became heavy, the heat of it against her neck.

She could hear a loud creak and heavy footsteps, the thumping of her heart and the sound of something swishing through the air.

The room warmed up, as if the sun had appeared again from behind a cloud.

And then, _thwack!_

Blake felt Adam tumble forward and fall away from her, his body suddenly heavier, the heat of his breath replaced by a warm, gloved hand on her shoulder.

“Blake!”

Her eyes cracked open and there stood Yang, a baseball bat in her hand and her eyes burning red.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake find themselves in more trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much to the people that commented and left kudos, it really makes me want to hug all of you!
> 
> hopefully you enjoy this chapter! i won't lie, it kind of hurt me to write it.

“Yang?”

“I’m here,” the blonde said, dropping the baseball bat and gently helping Blake sit up. The blood on her face had dried dark and she was definitely going to have a black eye.

“Why are you here? Why-” Blake struggled in Yang’s arms, twisting around to look at Adam. “Yang,” Blake warned, shaking her head. “You don’t know what you’ve done…”

“I have a pretty good idea,” Yang said, placing both hands on Blake’s shaking shoulders, doing all she could to calm her. “I knocked that creep the hell out. Please tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m… better than I was.”

“Do you think you can get up?”

“Anything to get away from him,” Blake mumbled, holding onto Yang’s muscular arms. As she stumbled, legs numb and shaky, she noticed something. “Your eyes changed colour.” Angry red eyes had faded back to kind violet, and Blake could feel them down smiling at her.

“Yeah,” Yang said, “that’s a thing that happens.” When Blake sent her a confused look, she shrugged. “Only when something _really_ ticks me off, though.”

“Adam really ticked you off, huh?” Blake asked, a sadness in her eyes.

“He was hurting you. Of course he made me angry!”

Blake closed her eyes. “Why?”

“I see someone in trouble, I help them,” Yang quickly said. “It’s just what anyone would do, y’know.”

“Not everyone,” Blake murmured.

Yang slid her hands down to the small of Blake’s back, still unsure whether she could stand on her own. “Well… I guess I was a _little_ impulsive.”

“Only a little?”

Yang sighed. “I wish I could say I regret it.”

“You will. And you won’t be the only one regretting it when Adam wakes up,” Blake countered. “If he wakes up.”

“Hey, I know I fired these guns,” Yang said, flexing her right arm, “but I didn’t hit him _that_ hard.”

“It doesn’t matter, you still hit him.”

Yang’s small smile fell. She didn’t get it. She’d burst in, guns - well - baseball bat blazing, armed and ready to help Blake - but Blake didn’t look like she was thankful, or even _happy_ that Adam had been stopped.

In fact she looked miserable and almost as nervous as she had when they had walked home together not even an hour ago.

Just as Yang decided it was for the best that the two of them get out of sight and call the police, her first rational thought since she’d decided to grab that baseball bat, the neighbouring apartment seemed to come to life.

It started as dull thumps, dragging sounds and whispers but soon became loud talking.

Blake stopped moving, a pained expression on her face.

That was all it took for Yang to panic. “Blake? What’s wrong? Where are you hurt?”

All Blake did was softly place a finger to Yang’s lips. “They know.”

Yang frowned. “Who’s ‘they’?”

“They’re twins. They-”

“Twins? Blake, we can outrun them!”

“No, Yang, it’s not just them - it’s - there’s more,” Blake whispered, inching closer into Yang’s arms. “It’s Adam’s gang.”

“Hold on, wait,” Yang said, eyes wide. “Your boyfriend’s a gang leader?”

“Yang.” Blake opened her mouth to say something else, but the sound of banging next door made her pause. She stared at Yang for a moment before tearing her gaze away and looking to Adam. “You might need that baseball bat again.”

And she did, because as soon as she leant down to pick the weapon up, Adam stirred, a low groan rumbling through his chest. With a small gasp, Yang looked to Blake. “I _swear_ I hit him harder than that.”

Another moan from Adam and Yang felt a hand grip her wrist, pulling, begging her to run. She turned to Blake, who looked like she would burst into another sob, blood smudged across her face, eyes pleading.

Tightening her grip on the baseball bat, the blonde whirled around and raced to the door, forcing it open with her foot just as a dozen armed men charged through the hallway.

Yang could barely breathe as she thundered down the staircase, Blake’s hand still grasping her wrist. She was surprised she was able to keep up after the ordeal she’d been through.

The first shot came when they rushed through to the lobby, narrowly missing Yang’s head. The bullet embedded itself into the graffitied wall across from them, right through the centre of the big cat’s head.

Another came when Blake pointed over to the glass doors, ducking and dodging as it ricocheted off the wall.

With a nod, Yang started for the doors, just as another bullet fired towards her, missing by an inch and smashing through the glass. An explosion of shards rained over them, as well as more gunfire and the angry shouts of men.

“Saves me having to open it, thanks boys,” Yang muttered to herself and hurtled through the remains of the door, boots crunching on broken glass.

Blake was still shielding her head when they set foot outside and Yang couldn’t tell if the blood on the dark haired girl’s arm was dried or newly shed. “What now?” Blake asked, out of breath and hopeless.

Yang cringed. She didn’t know. She didn’t know what she was doing. She hadn’t known what she’d been doing the whole time, trying to play the hero and ending up one of the victims.

A fact she was reminded of when another shot was fired from behind them.

She took a quick look back at Blake, in the state that she was, and was reminded of what had been a constant, throughout all of her stupid, irrational decisions that evening; looking out for Blake.

A girl she barely knew, but already felt for. Whatever kind of feelings, she felt _something_.

And if it all ended with her arrested or injured, it would be worth it, having helped somebody in need. Since when was that a crime?

Chest burning, throat tight, Yang caught sight of her dropped shopping bags as they bolted past the apartment complex. She tossed aside the baseball bat, a useless weapon against _guns_ , and scooped up one of the dropped bags.

She couldn’t leave Ruby’s cookies behind again.

The darkness of the evening camouflaged Blake as they sprinted through the streets, but Yang was still burning as brightly as ever, her long blonde hair dancing in the wind as she ran.

She hadn’t even realised that she had been making her way back to her and Ruby’s apartment until she saw it and skidded to a halt.

Blake let go of her wrist and tried to catch her breath, the gunfire having finally calmed down. For a second they were convinced they’d lost them, the winding streets and tall buildings feeling like some kind of maze.

“I have an idea,” Yang blurted out when she felt Blake looking at her, doubting her.

She’d not only endangered Blake, but she’d almost led crazed gang members right to her own doorstep. And she wasn’t about to put Ruby in danger like that. No, she’d rather die.

So, with the wind in her hair and a determined frown on her face, she gestured for Blake to follow her.

If she remembered correctly, what they needed was just around the corne-

Then, as if on cue and as soon as they thought they were relatively safe, more guns fired and three men rounded the building behind them.

“Run!” Blake yelled, touching Yang’s arm as she turned around, ready to run for her life. Yang took the lead, pointing for Blake to turn at the next corner.

They turned and dashed down the street and Yang grinned to herself when she saw it parked by the curb.

Bumblebee.

“C’mon,” Yang called, leaping up onto the seat. Her hand shook as she started the engine.

Blake tugged on her arm, forcing her to look her in the eye. “What are you doing?”

“ _We’re_ gonna drive until we disappear,” Yang replied over the sound of the engine. “There isn’t much legroom, so you’re gonna have to hold on and trust me.”

The hesitation on Blake’s face didn’t change and Yang could tell by the way she kept looking back that she was expecting Adam to come up behind them and grab her. “Yang, I-”

“Blake, please,” she begged. “I’m not leaving you and there’s at least four seconds before something crazy happens again so just-” Another shot ricocheted off the road, inches from her foot. “Okay, two seconds.”

“I won’t put you in any more danger,” Blake said, frowning.

Yang just shook her head. “Blake, did you even see me tonight? I pretty much threw myself into it! None of this is your fault.” Her heart hammered in her chest and reminded her of the urgency. “We need to get out of here right _now_.”

Blake held out her hand. “Give me the bag,” she said simply.

Yang raised an eyebrow. “Only if you give me your hand.”

With a hesitant smile, Blake placed her hand in Yang’s and was gently pulled onto the back of the bike. Yang then passed her the bag and revved the engine, drowning out the sound of yelling and stray bullets.

Bumblebee’s tyres screeched as Yang bent herself over the seat, speeding away from danger. She felt Blake jerk forward into her back and warily wrap her arms around her waist.

Yang’s heart raced and she couldn’t tell whether it was from their close proximity or due to the desperate, clumsy gunfire of the dozen men still standing in the road. Some were trying to chase them on foot while others stood still, yelling curses and working hard on their aim.

Bullets flew past them as Bumblebee swerved around the corner, the tension in Yang’s tight muscles relaxing.

“Hey, Blake?” she yelled over her shoulder. “I think we’re gonna be okay!”

“Right,” Blake muttered, tightening her grip on the fabric of Yang’s jacket.

A stream of bullets shot past them again, this time shattering the windows in the building just ahead of them.

“Damn,” Yang said under her breath, taking a quick peek over her shoulder.

A black car was tailing them, full of bullet holes with all of the windows smashed and it couldn’t stick to one side of the road. It was moving so erratically, coming precariously close to crashing into the cars parked at the side of the road, that Yang couldn’t make out who was driving.

Blake must have sensed Yang’s anxiety, because she too took a look back, the bow in her hair coming close to flying away on the wind.

It was when Blake squeezed her arms tightly around Yang’s middle that the blonde clenched her jaw. “Yang - Adam, he’s in there! He’s driving!”

“What?!” was all Yang could manage to yell, her gloved hands sliding on the handlebars. She bit her tongue as she turned another corner, swearing. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Blake said, and then more quietly, “I was stupid to ever think he’d just let me leave.”

“We can lose him,” Yang assured her, but then another round of bullets fired, shooting holes into the back of Bumblebee. She peered back one more time, catching sight of red hair and a maniacal smile. “That guy has _got_ to have an even thicker skull than Jaune,” she said through gritted teeth.

The car surged forward, bouncing over uneven parts of the road, pushing Yang to accelerate.

So she did.

Bumblebee roared into life. Adam forced the car into a turn at the next street corner, the large vehicle struggling to keep momentum. It lurched forward before slowing, sliding against another car with a deafening screech, sparks flying as metal grazed metal.

Yang smirked, keeping speed. But if there was anything she’d learnt about Adam that night, it was that he didn’t know when to quit.

She’d figured that all of this would’ve ended with the _thwack_ on his head, but even that hadn’t stopped him.

Now she understood why Blake was so afraid.

As she overtook a car ahead of them, hoping to lose Adam and his cronies in the more lively part of town, she heard the car crash it’s way through the traffic.

Car horns blared. People screamed and yelled. Glass shattered, shots were fired, Yang’s heart pounded.

She couldn’t look back.

Again, the car fought forward through the sea of cars, knocking them out of the way like bowling pins. Until it came to free road again. Free to catch and trap them.

Blake was pressing herself close to Yang, so much so that the blonde could feel her heartbeat in time with her own.

Bursting with that familiar impulse from earlier, back when all she could think about was stopping Adam and protecting Blake, Yang scooted around and up a long stretch of deserted road.

Tall buildings loomed over them and a soft pattering of rain started falling. The freshness in the air would have been welcome if not for their current desperate situation.

All Yang could feel now was a bitter feeling of failure, something she wasn’t used to. It seemed like there was no way out. Not if they wanted to live.

She saw the shopping bag out of the corner of her eye, still clutched tightly in Blake’s hand.

Like an assassin, the black car crept up and rammed into another car, launching it into a building. An alarm was set off just as thunder boomed in the distance.

The rain began pelting down on them, slapping Yang’s bare face and arms. She had to squint, wincing as Bumblebee dipped into a hole and threw itself to the other side of the road.

Tyres skidded and screeched as Yang tried to take back control. Soaking wet, shivering, the only semblance of warmth she could feel was from Blake, who she heard breathing heavily, chest rising and falling against her back.

The car closed the distance, taking advantage of Yang’s struggling. There was a bang and a hiss and everything around her blurred.

Bumblebee’s back tyre had been shot, sending it spinning across the road.

Adam’s car chased it in a sadistic game of cat and mouse. But in his frenzied attack, he was losing control, skidding and sliding, coming closer and closer to reeling off the road.

Through the rain and the thunder, Yang could hear men shouting, pleading with Adam to let them take over.

He only sped up, losing all control. The car rammed forward a few times before it span around, crashing into Bumblebee and sending it tumbling through the air until it came to a stop a few feet ahead of them.

Yang and Blake were hurled from the seat, crashing through the air and hitting the ground over and over as they rolled straight into the path of the car.

Yang’s hearing was muffled, her vision blurred and she hurt all over. All she could taste was blood.

In a panic, she reached out for Blake, calling for her. She tried to get up, to run away, but the car was too fast and too out of control.

The last thing she remembered was someone screaming her name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang has a rude awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...believe me when i say i hate hurting yang like this.
> 
> anyway, thank you so much for reading! i hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Yang awoke to beeping and a blinding light above her head. Squinting, she coughed and tried to sit up, gradually propping herself up on her elbows. When she staggered and her head fell back onto her pillow, she heard a familiar voice.

“Sis!” Ruby squealed, shooting out of her chair and throwing herself at her big sister.

“Ruby?” Yang struggled to say. Her throat was dry and sore and she could barely make out her sister’s face through the tears that had crept up on her. She tried to wipe at her eyes and hug Ruby back, but there was something wrong. Something… missing.

Ruby slowly pulled away, rubbing her eyes. “You scared me so much! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Yang felt the sting of tears in her eyes come back. “Oh, Dad’s here, too! He’s, uh, making tea, well not _making_ tea - _buying_ tea from the vending machine down the hall…”

“Ruby,” Yang said, voice shaking, “what happened?”

Too afraid to look down, she kept her gaze on her younger sister. The girl was squirming before her eyes, nervously rubbing her neck, eyes as red as the cloak she always wore and her cheeks still damp with tears.

“You were in an... accident,” she struggled to say. “You were asleep for over a week. A week and three days, exactly! I thought you were never gonna wake up!” Ruby clenched her fists by her sides, shoulders shaking as she tried to control her tears. “Yang, that night… I heard all of it!”

Her sister’s voice broke into a loud sob and memories of Blake, Adam and gunfire flooded back.

Everything had gone wrong so fast. She’d lost Blake, she’d lost Bumblebee, she’d lost her pride… she’d lost…

Everything.

Frustration boiling up inside her, Yang tore her eyes away from Ruby, who had sunk back down into her seat, bottom lip quivering, hands tangled in her cloak.

It reminded her of little Ruby, the baby sister who would have nightmares and scramble into Yang’s bed, a small, wailing mess. Yang would soothe her, calm the tears, offer warm hugs and tell her bedtime stories until she fell back to sleep.

Ruby wasn’t so little now. And it had been a long time since Yang had awoken in the middle of the night to comfort her, but Ruby still had nightmares. Yang knew that much.

This nightmare, though, was real. And it wasn’t just Ruby’s… it was her own as well.

She hesitated for a moment, a strange mixture of emotions swelling in her chest, too strong for her to contain. Anger, sadness, guilt, worry - all of them fighting for her attention.

Then, she bit her lip and opened her arms for her sister.

Her arms.

From the moment she’d woken up, she had known. She had still _felt_ it there, but she’d known it was gone. It was all gone.

As she stared down at the bandaged stump, all clean and neat, she clenched her jaw.

This was anything _but_ clean and neat and tied up with a bow. In a moment of rage, she wanted to rip off the bandage, hurl it out of the window and scream.

But she didn’t.

Instead, more tears fell and dripped off her chin and soon she was sobbing as noisily as Ruby used to.

For somebody as seemingly carefree as Yang, who went wherever the flow took her, it always surprised even her how quickly and easily she could break down. Sometimes it seemed like nothing could phase her, that nothing could throw her out of her happy go lucky way of life, but nothing was that simple - _she_ wasn’t that simple.

She lifted her left hand to her face, still taken aback by the lack of her right one. She stared at it, sniffling, before wiping at her eyes.

Then she felt a dip in the mattress and a warmth she’d been missing. Ruby leaned over and wrapped her up in a hug. An awkward, uncomfortable hug for Yang - she was still trying to use both arms, and new tears formed when she realised it was the little things like hugging her sister that she would miss being able to do the most.

“I know you’re angry right now,” Ruby whispered, and Yang couldn’t keep in her sob. “And… sad. But I want you to know that… you’re still my hero!”

Yang grimaced. “Sorry, Rubes, not feeling so heroic.”

“But you are!” Ruby argued, nuzzling her face into Yang’s unruly hair. “What you did - it’s like something out of the stories you always used to read me! The ones with the heroes who protect people and save the day without asking for anything in return! You’re just like them… but better!”

Ruby continued to ramble while all Yang could do was keep quiet, not wanting to protest.

But Ruby _did_ have it twisted. Yang wasn’t the hero. She hadn’t done any saving, so how could she be? All she’d done is make Blake’s terrible situation even worse - and all because she couldn’t control her _stupid_ temper.

Blake.

Yang gripped the back of Ruby’s cloak. She could still see Blake’s beaten and blood stained face in her mind, and it definitely wasn’t the way she wanted to remember the girl who had so swiftly captured her heart. They had been through so much together already and it would break Yang even further if she found out that Blake had been the one who hadn’t made it.

“Blake! Where is she? Is she doing okay?”

Ruby pulled away. “Oh! So that’s her name?”

“Ruby!”

“Sorry, it’s just she wouldn’t let go of your hand in the ambulance and I’d never seen her before so I knew she wasn’t a friend of yours but then the doctor had to take off her bow and oh yeah - she has these cute kitty ears! They look _really_ soft and fluf-”

“Wait, what?” Yang would have pinched herself if she could, but Ruby was perched on the bed smiling up at her, expecting her to nod along with everything. “Cat ears? Got it, nothing makes sense, great!” She winced at the pain in her stump and leaned back. “Seriously, Ruby, have you seen her since then?”

“That depends what you mean,” Ruby squeaked.

“Eh?”

“If you mean in real life, no... not since she was taken away.”

“What? Taken away?!”

“But I did see her on TV one time when dad fell asleep watching it!”

Yang widened her eyes. “Okay, now what? She’s secretly a multimillionaire movie star too?”

“ _That_ ’s what they call wishful thinking.” When Yang looked over at her, frowning, Ruby threw her arms up in the air. “She was on the news!”

Yang could only nod. She didn’t know how she could’ve thought the carnage of that night _wouldn’t_ have made it onto the news. She looked down at her stump, anxiously reaching over with her left hand to touch it. It was beginning to throb with a dull ache. “So you have no idea where she was taken?”

“No… sorry.”

Yang let out an agitated groan and slumped back against her pillow. “See, Ruby? You can call me a hero all you want but in the end I just messed things up again! Jeez, I bet wherever she is, Blake’s relieved that I’m out of her life.” She looked over at the window. “Not like I was in it for long anyways.”

Ruby shook her head. “Pfft, you’re just saying that because you’re mad!”

“No, Ruby, I’m not! I’m totally serious. You don’t get it. She was terrified… and that guy… Adam. It was like he was invincible!”

Ruby pulled a face. “Nobody’s _invincible_!”

“Yeah, well, when you knock a guy out with a baseball bat and two seconds later he’s chasing after you in a car, it’s kinda hard to think anything else.”

Ruby sent her a look then, the sort of look she used to send their dad - back when he was shutting down and incapable of looking after himself, let alone his own kids. It was pitiful, and if there was anything Yang didn’t want to be, it was a pity case.

But if the the way Ruby’s eyes hurriedly shifted towards her every time she moved even a little bit were anything to go by, that’s what she already was and always would be from now on. A burden for her family to watch over in case she wasn't able to do something.

Ruby and their dad would never admit it, but Yang would always know.

She rubbed what was left of her right arm, trying to feel something, _anything_. It only occurred to her then, in the uncomfortable silence of the hospital room, that a piece of her was _gone_. And it was never, ever coming back.

She gradually fell into a daydream as she rubbed the stump, staring down at her lap, eyes watering without her realising.

A cruel but familiar smile shot through her mind, the muffled sounds of yelling and gunfire playing over and over again in her ears. Then, like lightning, a recollection of a brutal collision bought her back to reality, disoriented and dazed.

It was then that Taiyang casually pushed open the door with his foot, holding two cups of steaming tea and struggling with a cookie jar tucked under his arm.

“Yay, you found them!”

“Didn’t I tell you I would?” he replied with a grimace. As he peeked around the door, he let out a gasp at the sight of Yang, awake and wide-eyed. Hurrying in, he spilled the tea all over his fingers, hissing in pain. The cookie jar slipped out from under his arm and came close to smashing on the floor, if it weren’t for Ruby.

“My children!” she yelled, diving forward just in time to catch it.

“Jeez,” Taiyang muttered, clumsily setting the two cups down on the table, spilling even more on himself. He blew on his fingers for a second before sending Yang a sceptical look and rolling up his sleeves.

“Uh oh. Here it comes!” Ruby cried, glancing back and forth between them.

Yang quickly shook her head, ridding herself of the unsettling feeling left over from her vision. “If you’re gonna lecture me about rushing into things and getting myself hurt, you might wanna take your own advice,” she said, gesturing to the tea that stained her dad’s shirt.

“Talking back already?” Tai said, eyebrows raised. “That’s my girl!”

Yang wanted to scoff and bury herself under the sheets, to tell her dad that she wasn’t his girl, not now. Her arm hadn’t been the only thing she’d lost, after all. She didn’t feel like herself, and she knew it would take her a long time to get used to it.

She only hoped the anger and the tears would go away soon.

Deep inside, though, Yang knew they wouldn’t stop until she found out what had happened to Blake.

Taiyang let out a relieved sigh and walked over to the bed, grabbing Yang’s head with both hands and pressing a kiss to the top of it. “How’s my little girl feeling?”

Yang stuck her tongue out at him, earning a giggle from Ruby. “I dunno. But there’s a _littler_ girl over there about to eat an army’s share of cookies.”

Tai crossed his arms, quickly glancing at Ruby, who laughed nervously but continued munching. “Fine, how’s my _big_ girl feeling now?”

“Alright, I guess,” Yang said, feeling tense. She caught her dad awkwardly staring at her stump and trying to play it off. “Or should I say all _left?_ ”

“Hey, if all these years have taught me anything, it’s that if you’re making jokes you’re feeling better,” he said, patting her on the shoulder.

“Duh!” Yang countered, forcing a smile. “It’s how you always knew I was trying to skip school.”

He smiled down at her, but it didn’t meet his eyes. There was a seriousness there that made her look away. “You’re too strong to let this stop you,” he said quietly, nodding as he spoke. “You’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Yang couldn't control herself any longer. “Normal, huh?” Her legs fidgeted beneath the sheets. “Nothing’s ever gonna be normal again! I lost my pride along with my arm, Bumblebee’s a pile of junk now and I don’t even know where Blake is!”

“Things are messy right now b-”

“I’m the mess!” Yang interrupted. Her head was pounding and the dull ache in her stump had become almost unbearable.

Ruby shot up from her seat. “Yang, don’t say that!”

“I… this is my normal now,” she whispered. “It’s new and it’s weird but I need to accept that things will never go back to how they used to be.” Through teary eyes, she looked from Ruby to her dad and back again. “I need you both to get that.”

Kneeling down beside the bed, Taiyang slowly nodded, shuffling over to make enough room for Ruby. “We get it.”

“Yeah!” Ruby agreed, grinning. “Take as long as you need!”

A small smile crept onto her face and for the first time since waking up, she felt some relief, like a wave of acceptance and peace had swept over her. “Thanks, you guys.”

“Get some sleep,” Tai said, getting up. “I’m gonna let the doctor know you’re awake.”

“Wha- but she just woke up!” Ruby protested.

“She needs all the rest she can get, Ruby.” With that, he reached for the door handle. “I know you missed her but give her time, okay?”

“Uh, guys, I’m right here,” Yang interjected.

“I know! And I’m _so_ happy about it!” Ruby cried, clinging onto Yang’s arm with a surprisingly tight grip for such a small girl.

Fortunately Ruby promptly let Yang go when she noticed the goofy smile on her face change to a wince, worriedly bombarding her with questions about how much it hurt and if she should call for the nurse. Yang refused, panicking. She didn’t want any more fuss made over her, she’d been surrounded by enough trouble in the last week to last her a lifetime, and dad was right - she did need rest.

A yawn forced it’s way out of her midway through trying to reassure Ruby that everything was fine. Her sister eventually nodded, mumbling something about needing something from the cafeteria, flying through the door and disappearing at break neck speed a second later.

Yang spent the next ten minutes, give or take, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. The lack of her right arm wouldn’t leave her mind and the awkwardness of not having it there to lean on and keep her balanced was jarring, especially when she almost rolled over and off the side of the bed.

After another minute of closing her eyes and begging for sleep, she let out a groan and fell onto her back, the sheets flying up before settling back down.

It was when she shifted onto her side again, her left hand tucking itself under the pillow, that she felt something cool and silky wrap itself around her arm.

Taken aback, she grabbed it and pulled it out from beneath her, eyes widening at the sight of a familiar black bow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang gets back in action... kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a slightly longer chapter? yay. hope you like it!

“Okay, I’m getting up now!” Yang sing-songed while Ruby and Taiyang sat staring at her.

She’d been threatening them with it for ten minutes, ever since Ruby had returned from the cafeteria.

At first it was funny, and she could tell her little sister enjoyed seeing her goof off again when she held out her leg and mimed dipping her toe into water.

Their dad, though, was less amused.

He’d been the first one she’d told about the bow and the owner of said bow being in the hospital somewhere.

He was also the one who was telling her to forget about it for now and stay in bed and rest, as if she hadn’t rested enough in the week and a half she was unconscious.

And _now_ he’d even dragged Ruby into it, and Yang knew better than most just how stubborn her baby sister could be.

Taiyang sprang out of his chair as soon as Yang threw the covers off of herself and he realised that for once she wasn’t joking around. “Look, I get that you care about this girl and I’m all for you getting back up after this fall but it’s only be-”

“Dad, it’s fine, okay? I still have two legs, might as well use them, right?” She grinned. “And c’mon, I’m only going down the hall, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Taiyang sighed and rubbed his temples with both thumbs. " _That’s_ what I said to myself when I let you both leave Patch.” He looked over at Ruby. “If it was up to me I’d never let my girls out of my sight ever again.”

Yang shuffled over and let her legs dangle over the edge of the bed. “Yep, well good thing it’s not up to you then.” Ruby had tied the bow around Yang's wrist in a cheap imitation of how Blake had worn it. “You’re the one who said I was too strong to let this stop me, right?”

“Yeah, bu-”

“Guess what?” Yang announced, setting her feet down on the floor, wobbling a little at first. “It’s not stopping me!” Then, carefully, she made her way to the door, muscles weak and aching from disuse.

“Well, she’s not wrong.” Ruby shrugged and cheered when Yang eventually grasped the door handle.

Tai surrendered, but not without offering to go himself, which Yang swiftly declined. She had to be the one to do it, she had to be the one to find Blake.

She’d gotten them both into this mess, a habit that she’d unfortunately had since she was a kid.

Her compassionate and protective nature would often get her in trouble. Back at Patch she’d been known to come to the rescue of bullied kids, getting herself into fights in the process.

But as she’d been forced to grow up too fast, helping to raise Ruby and finding out things about her family that the younger her had struggled to understand, Yang found herself becoming less of the troublemaker and more of the peacekeeper, at least when it came to her sister.

That wasn’t to say there wasn’t _any_ trouble in her life, she’d just learnt her lessons and figured out her limits.

But when she’d seen Blake, squirming and struggling underneath Adam, crying and covered in blood, Yang had no choice but to cause a little chaos.

Chaos that had left both of them in pieces.

That’s why she had to find Blake, to try and fit everything back together again, even if she herself was irreparable.

She held her left hand over her right shoulder as she shuffled her way along the hall, unconsciously hiding the stump where her arm had been.

She hadn’t been ashamed of it before stepping out of that room, and Ruby hadn’t looked at her any differently at all.

But as she walked down the stuffy hall, the opinions of other patients and nurses she didn’t even know suddenly became important.

Some of them looked at her with curiosity, pity, or confusion, but the ones that hurt Yang the most were the ones who awkwardly looked away, as if she wasn’t really there.

She didn’t want to disappear. She was still here, still alive, just a little _different_.

The lady at the front desk was reading a newspaper, her glasses perched on the end of her nose.

Yang let out a breath and cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

“Hm, yes?” the woman said slowly, her eyes darting up from her reading before looking back down. Yang frowned when she let out a small gasp. “It’s you!”

“It’s… me?”

“The girl from the accident on page four!” the woman cried, catching the attention of a few of the people visiting. She shrank back in her chair and checked the newspaper again. “Miss Xiao Long is it?”

“Yeah, I think you know it is,” Yang retorted, uncomfortable. Figuring out whether it was a good or a bad thing to be recognised for barely surviving a car crash could come later.

“You really shouldn’t be out of bed, Miss Xiao Long.”

“I guess. Then again, _you_ really shouldn’t be slacking off and reading a newspaper,” Yang fired back. After a fair bit of stuttering from the woman behind the desk, Yang leaned over and tried to read the article upside down.

If she couldn’t see Blake just yet, she could try to read about her and get a stiff neck.

“What is it you wanted?” the woman snapped, tearing away the newspaper and placing it on the desk behind her.

“I need to know which room Blake’s in.”

“Blake…?”

“Blake... uh, black hair, yellow eyes, really cute shy smile she always forgets she has,” Yang said, blushing. She hadn’t even realised she didn’t know Blake’s last name until then.

The woman glared at her. “Her _surname,_  not her life story.”

Yang winced and averted her eyes. They fell on the newspaper, and a light switch was turned on in her brain. “It’ll be in there!”

“What?” the woman asked and swivelled around in her chair.

“We were in the accident together. Her name’s gotta be in there.”

“Belladonna,” the lady finally said after another read through. “Blake Belladonna.”

Yang blinked. That seemed about right. A pretty name for a pretty girl. She opened her mouth to repeat it, to see how it felt on her tongue. It was silly but even knowing Blake’s full name made Yang feel closer to her somehow. Such a small thing began to mean a lot after a near death experience.

“Let me see,” the woman muttered before Yang could say anything else, opening drawers in the desk, flipping through files and eventually stifling a yawn and clicking through names on the computer in front of her. “No, there’s no Blake Belladonna on file in this hospital.”

As soon as the words left the woman’s lips, Yang felt a shiver run down her spine.

If Blake wasn’t in the hospital, where was she and how did she plant her bow underneath the pillow?

Yang had taken that as a sign, a small message from Blake telling her that she was okay. But if it wasn’t…

Mind reeling, Yang froze.

Blake couldn’t be gone. Ruby had seen her on the news. She was in the newspaper! Yang had her bow… Blake had been far away from danger. She wasn’t in the car’s path, she wasn’t hit-

“Miss Xiao Long?”

Yang snapped herself out of her daze, and seeing how the woman leaned forward over the desk, had a bright idea. “I think I’m gonna throw up,” she moaned, grabbing her stomach and making exaggerated groaning noises.

The woman pulled a face and crossed her arms. She took a look around for a nurse, before giving up with a dramatic sigh. “Oh, fine, let me get you a glass of water!”

Yang made a particularly loud, obnoxious noise as the woman shot off down the hall, prompting her to speed up and nearly trip in her heels. People passed by, staring at her and whispering.

Yang rolled her eyes when she was finally out of sight and slid behind the desk. She opened a few of the drawers, awkwardly flicking through them with her left hand. Soon she lost her cool, the panic of finding Blake and the frustration at herself for constantly forgetting that she only had one hand were becoming too much.

With a deep sigh, she fell back into the chair, hand trembling.

Her eyes skim read through the hundreds of names on the screen. Blake would be there somewhere, she had to be.

Yang had searched through all the ‘B’s’ and still there was no sign of Blake.

She couldn’t be hard to find. Blake Belladonna. It was a unique name, alliterative and fun to say - as Yang had figured out as she whispered it to herself.

Annoyed and confused, she decided to read through it again, carefully this time, but then she noticed another tab on the other side of the screen that she’d completely missed.

Faunus Care Unit.

It was tucked at the side of the screen, as if it were an afterthought, the small text barely even readable. Yang frowned and wished she was surprised by how the Faunus were treated, even when they needed emergency medical care. It was easy for humans to ignore or forget the abuse and mistreatment the Faunus had been through.

Yang, though, was far from a judgemental person. She rarely disliked _anyone_ , and definitely not for things they couldn’t change about themselves.

When Ruby had let it slip that Blake was a Faunus, the only thing that had raced through Yang’s mind were how soft Blake’s cat ears probably were. _That_ , and how dumb she was for not realising what was hiding behind the bow, but she could and would chalk that up to being chased by angry gunmen at the time.

Yang bit the bullet and clicked the FCU icon, which took her to another, notably shorter list of names.

There were voices behind her, making her briefly glance up at a couple of bewildered passersby, before dipping her head lower and frantically clicking the mouse.

Then she saw it. Belladonna, Blake. It was there at the top of the screen as she scrolled down and she’d never clicked on something so fast. The page took a few agonising seconds to load, Yang’s stomach tying itself into knots the whole time.

“Don’t be bad news,” Yang whispered. “Don’t be bad news.”

“Miss Xiao Long?!”

Yang shot up to her full height, hair in her face. “Oh yeah, ow, stomach pain,” she quickly said, resuming her earlier act and holding her stomach.

“What are you doing behind there?!” the woman cried, slamming the glass of water down on the desk.

“Just getting in some light reading,” Yang said, rushing to get another look at Blake’s file. All she needed was the room number.

“That’s confidential information!”

“Yeah, sooo confidential,” Yang said, rolling her eyes and turning the monitor around to show the woman. “Is it also confidential that you have an entire unit full of Faunus patients? ‘Cause you could’ve fooled me.”

At that, the woman bristled and shooed Yang away, red faced. “I think it would be best if you returned to your room to rest, Miss Xiao Long. You shouldn’t be under any... stress.”

“Psh, I’m doing just fine,” Yang said to herself as she walked away. “Room two hundred and eight here I come.”

The throbbing pain in her arm hadn’t gone away since she’d woken up and the bandage was starting to itch and irritate her skin. Still, she made her way back along the hall, repeating the room number under her breath.

“Heh, didn’t expect it to keep you down for long,” a gruff voice said just as she was about to turn a corner.

She would know that voice anywhere. And the vague smell of cheap booze in the air only confirmed it. “Qrow!” she yelled, turning around and pulling him into a hug. He was as stiff as he always was, clapping her lightly on the back. “Ruby’s gonna _freak_ when she sees you! How long’s it been, like, eight months?”

“Really, that long?” he asked, eyes narrow. “You’ve changed, kiddo.”

“You mean apart from... the arm?”

He coughed and looked away. “Yeah, well, your hair’s longer.”

Yang watched him discreetly take a swig from his flask, holding in a laugh. “Just wait till I get out of here, I don’t need two hands to kick your butt at Street Fighter!”

“Not happening,” he replied, smirking. But as soon as it had appeared, the smirk disappeared and he took a serious look at her, up and down, left and… right. Luckily Qrow was more discreet than her dad, and Yang could just about stomach his gaze as it wandered to her right shoulder and what remained of her arm. “I’ll cut to the chase, as much as I wanted to see ya, kid, I came here with a sorta... ulterior motive.”

Yang caught on right away.

Qrow was a cop. With a drinking problem. So like every caricature of the brooding detective on every police show Yang and Ruby had ever watched. Still, they both worshipped him. Ruby especially. Sometimes he’d be so caught up in his work they wouldn’t see him for months on end, which probably only made them love him more.

“You wanna play twenty questions and interrogate me about the accident, got it.”

“Quit pretending. I’m not your dad.”

Yang frowned. “What?”

“We both know it wasn’t an accident. If you think it was you’re either crazy or an idiot.”

“Wow, sure, kick a girl when she’s down.” She saw him smirk. “But yeah, you’re right.”

“And you weren’t,” he replied, leaning back against the wall. “We’re not gonna play twenty questions. I’m just gonna ask you _one_ : where did that son of a bitch run off to?”

“I’m totally lost,” Yang whispered, leaning in closer. “Who?”

“Taurus,” Qrow said as if it was obvious.

Yang found her thoughts spiralling back to that night. “You mean... Adam?”

“Yeah, any ideas?”

Yang stared at her uncle in disbelief. “Aren’t you forgetting one crazy huge detail? I was unconscious the whole time!”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll ask again: any ideas?”

“I barely even know the guy,” Yang snapped. “Actually, y’know what, I don’t know him _at all_. How crazy is that? I don’t know anything about the guy who tried to kill me!”

“Cool down, firecracker,” Qrow said. “We don’t know much about this scumbag either.”

Yang clenched her fist. “How the hell did he get away?”

“That’s my line,” Qrow interjected. “Been asking myself that question since last week. The guy just fell off the map.”

“I kinda wish you meant that literally,” Yang muttered. She couldn’t help but wonder if Blake knew about all of this. If she did she was probably terrified and if she didn’t, well, Yang was sure she would _still_ be terrified.

Ruby had insisted that no one was invincible, but everything about Adam Taurus had proved her wrong. At least for now.

Qrow put his hand on Yang’s shoulder, squeezing it. “This is tough, kid, but you’re tougher, ain’t that right?”

“Yeah, right,” Yang said slowly, partly off in a daydream.

“Where’d that fire go?”

“It’s still here,” she argued, making Qrow laugh. “This is just… a lot.”

“No one said it was gonna be easy.”

“Great, now you’re using dad’s lines.”

“Listen to ‘em. Listen to me. And him, if ya want. If he ever has something helpful to say.”

“Soooo, never,” Yang joked. Looking down, something else came to mind, or rather - someone. She hesitated, not knowing if she should try and breach the subject at a time like this. Qrow was tense, she could tell. And she was still a mess, even if she tried to hide it behind a grin and a joke. She’d always done that and it had almost always worked for her. “Heard anything from… her?”

Qrow’s eyes narrowed. “Bringing her up now? Really?”

“Sorry, okay? I just thought she might actually care. Dumb idea, right?”

“Wishful thinking ain’t good for ya.”

“Seriously? Nothing at all?”

“No.”

“I almost get myself killed in a car crash and even then she’s a no show?”

“Sorry kiddo, but your mom has no idea.”

“How can you be so sure? Ruby said this was all over the news!”

“Wherever your mom is,” he began, pushing himself off the wall, “I doubt she can see any of this.”

Heart pounding, Yang feebly punched the wall with the little strength she could muster. Qrow raised an eyebrow at her and stepped to the side, slipping his flask out of his pocket and taking a long swig. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and let out a sigh.

“I’ll be back in a few days,” he said quietly, “don’t tell Tai I was here.” Yang opened her mouth. “And before you ask, yeah, that means not to tell Ruby either.”

“Why?”

“Police business.”

“You must think you’re so cool when you say that,” Yang said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not the only one,” he said with a smirk. Then, he turned and took long strides down the hall and through a pair of doors, the smell of booze still lingering behind him.

Again, Yang was alone, that same image of Adam smiling at her through the rain refusing to leave her mind and let her rest. She wondered if that would always be there - that he’d left such a mark on her that she would never escape.

She dared another look down at her right side, sighing. Of course he’d left a mark. A physical one at least.

An emotional one, though? Yang would be damned if she let him haunt her mind as well as her body.

So, with a newfound drive, she continued making her way to room two hundred and eight, getting a little lost on the way.

It didn’t help that even when she finally found it, the Faunus Care Unit was extremely difficult for humans to access. It was tucked away at the back of the hospital in an attempt to keep Faunus patients hidden.

The only way Yang had realised she was in the right place was by the sight of a nurse pushing a fox Faunus through the doors in a wheelchair, muttering something under her breath when one of the wheels caught.

Before she knew it, Yang was stood in front of Blake’s room, suddenly completely lost with what to say. She didn’t know what kind of things you said to the person you’d nearly died for, the person who deserved more than what she’d been given from life.

Yang could talk for hours without having to stop and think about it. She’d never worried about saying the wrong thing or laughing too loudly. She wasn’t the type to apologise for who she was.

So why was she so nervous? This was Blake, the girl who had already seen her fail, the one thing Yang despised the most. She’d seen her at her weakest, thrown from her bike and defenseless.

She’d also seen her at her best, smacking guys upside the head and speeding through the streets on Bumblebee.

Blake had seen a lot more of Yang in a few minutes than the blonde’s other friends had in years.

With that in mind, Yang stepped forward and took one quick peek through the small, round window in the door.

Her heart soared at the sight of Blake inside, laying in bed, reading a book, which she seemed to be purposely hiding her face with.

Yang smiled to herself. Blake was okay… for the most part.

Her left leg was heavily bandaged and propped up and there were some deep cuts and bruises all along her bare arms. Blake’s pale skin only made them more noticeable.

The dark haired girl then lowered the book and flipped the page over carefully.

Yang had imagined Blake to be the bookworm type. At first she’d been intrigued by the dark haired girl’s calm and collected exterior but after learning about her life behind that first impression, Yang had realised there was much more hidden there. It only made sense that Blake would want to dive into stories of others’ lives to escape her own.

Yang took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” And with that, she lightly knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

Heart in her throat, Yang pushed open the door. “Lose something?” was the first thing she said, revealing Blake’s bow tied around her wrist and waving it around a bit.

“Yang?” Blake said, nearly dropping her book. She looked like a rabbit caught in headlights for a moment, staring wide-eyed at… everything about Yang. From her eyes to her mouth to her arm before resting on the black bow. Regaining some composure, she attempted to smile, placing her book down. “How did you find me?”

“I’ll have to tell you _that_ thrilling tale some other time,” Yang said, taking the seat beside the bed. She took a long look at Blake’s bruised face. “I just… needed to know you were okay.”

“I’m fine... compared to you,” Blake said, grimacing when she tried to lean forward. “Yang, I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry.” Her hand reached out for Yang’s and the blonde gladly reached back.

“What are you sorry for? Jeez, Blake, you’re lying here in the hospital and you’re gonna pretend you’re the bad guy?”

“If I hadn’t taken the later shift none of this would’ve happened, Yang, don’t you see?” Blake squeezed her hand weakly. “This is my fault just as much as his.”

Yang frowned. “This,” she began, nodding to her stump, “is _his_ fault, no one else’s. Not yours, not mine.”

Tears slid down Blake’s cheeks. “How can you say that after everything? You should be angry, Yang. You should hate me!”

“Nope, not gonna happen.”

They sat staring at each other, both too in awe for words. Blake was wiping away her tears while Yang tried to fight hers back. Her left hand was beginning to tingle but Blake's hand was so soft she didn't want to let go.

“I’m not used to forgiveness,” Blake suddenly said after the long silence. “Or acceptance. Looking like this, well, it’s not easy.” The soft black cat ears atop her head twitched ever so slightly and Yang had to hold in an affectionate squeal. “I think that’s why Adam was so important to me.”

“He made you feel accepted?”

“Something like that. He was just… there. He was safe.” Blake looked away, ashamed. “Until he wasn’t.”

“We don’t have to talk about him!” Yang blurted out. “This can be a _totally_ Adam free zone.” She caught Blake staring at her, mouth open, and couldn't help but grin at her.

Blake sucked in a deep breath. “How do you do that?”

“Huh?”

“Light up a room?”

Yang’s eyes widened and she had to look away to conceal the deep shade of red her cheeks had become. “Wha-”

“You don’t even notice, do you?” Blake asked, smiling.

“My dad always calls me his sunny little dragon, maybe he's onto something?” Yang joked.

“Maybe,” Blake replied, shifting her eyes from Yang and back down to her book. “I left the bow under your pillow on purpose, as a message.”

“Your precious bow? Seriously?”

“How would you know if it’s precious?”

“Well… uh, you seemed to wear it a lot.”

“The two times you saw me.”

“Right,” Yang said, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Well, you’re not wrong. It was precious, once.” Blake took a moment to sigh. “I used it as a disguise, to hide these.” Her feline ears flicked up.

Again, Yang had to keep her delighted squeal inside, with much difficulty. “Why did you wanna hide them? They’re part of who you are.”

Blake scoffed. “It’s who I am that some humans want hidden.”

“Trust me, there’s no discrimination here!” Yang assured her. “Not from my baby sister Ruby either. There’s not one discriminatory bone in her body.” Blake’s cat ears perked up. “She was the one who called your cat ears cute, I just _agree_ ,” Yang continued, winking.

Blake smiled. “If only other humans shared your sentiment.” Then, with a sigh, she leaned back into her pillow. “I want to be judged for who I am, not what I am. To not be defined by my Faunus heritage. That’s fair isn’t it?”

“Sure it is. Some humans are just… short sighted and I don’t mean in the needing glasses kind of way.” Yang shrugged. “You shouldn’t have to hide a part of you to be treated with respect.”

Blake chuckled, so quietly that Yang barely heard it. “I left the bow as a message for you but once I was back here, in this room, naked without it… that’s when I started to realise what I’d been missing. That feeling of freedom, it was amazing.”

“Sounds like leaving it with me did both of us a favour, huh?”

Blake quickly recovered her serious expression and her gaze wandered down to Yang’s stump. “You seem to be… adjusting.”

It was a statement that took Yang a moment to process. She’d been so busy worrying about Blake and ruminating over what had happened with Adam that she’d hardly had any time to try and accept her new normal.

She couldn’t tell Blake that inside she felt just as broken as she looked, that Blake was one of the only reasons why she had been able to ignore it and that the trauma of the crash fell heavy on her heart and mind. She couldn’t say any of it. So she did what she would always do when Ruby was young, grin and bear it, fake it til she made it.

“I guess so.”

“That’s all you’re going to say?”

“What else is there? Life goes on, the world keeps spinning, all that jazz.”

“Are you always like this?”

“ _Someone_ has to balance out your brooding with some positive vibes.”

Blake’s eyes narrowed. “I can always go back to reading and completely ignore you, if you’d prefer?”

“Nah, I like your brooding, it’s cute!”

“Those two words don’t really go together.”

“Okay, so maybe I'm not great with words," Yang said, "actions, though..." She grinned at Blake, who sent her a little smile back.

They stayed like that for another half hour, talking and touching. Yang doing most of both. She wanted to feel Blake as much as she could, to make up for the lack of her right hand. So she'd touch Blake softly on the arm while in the middle of conversation, or squeeze her hand when things got too much for the both of them.

Blake told Yang about how she'd met a monkey Faunus named Sun in the room across from hers and how she'd asked him to sneak her through the hospital and into Yang's room in a wheelchair. And Yang eventually told Blake about how she'd faked a stomach ache and tricked the lady at the desk, all to find out her room number.

It wasn't long before their conversation came back to Adam and Yang had to tear her gaze away from Blake, jaw clenched. She wanted to forget him, and everything.

"Yang? Are you even listening?"

"Yep, I'm all ears."

"Then why aren't you looking at me?"

She sighed and leaned her head back to look up at the ceiling. "Don't you think we should just forget the guy?"

Blake frowned. "Isn't that easier said than done?"

"Trust me, I know," Yang mumbled. "But he's gone for now, he's not our biggest problem."

Blake looked calm, but the way she was fiddling with the cover of her book made Yang feel nervous. "Yang, you don't know?"

"Huh? Know what?"

With a shaky breath, Blake hesitantly looked her in the eye. "Adam's dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a really mean part of me wanted to end this chapter with yang at blake's door but the nicer part couldn't let them be apart for another chapter. we have canon to do that for us, right? sighhhh
> 
> anyway thank you for reading! every single comment and kudos makes me smile (even if i'm way too awkward to reply, i really appreciate you!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake have some... problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, ok, this chapter turned out longer than i thought it would.
> 
> it really made me laugh how no one believed that adam's really dead. but... who knows?
> 
> i hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

The doctor spoke, each jumbled word meaning nothing to Yang. Her hearing felt like she was submerged under water, muffled and distant, yet she didn’t struggle. She was calm, nodding at all the parts she assumed she had to. Her dad was sat beside her, watching her carefully, nudging her whenever she strayed too far into her daydream.

“You can use this when the pain gets too hard to bear,” the doctor said, handing her something that looked like a thick sock. “You’re still in the early stages, it’s normal to feel odd, to have the sensation that your severed limb is still there, that sort of thing.”

Ruby was sat on her other side, holding her left hand gently in her own. Her little sister had been through a lot the past few days too, and Yang couldn’t fight the guilt she felt for putting her through it, however unintentionally.

She was supposed to protect Ruby from this kind of stuff.

That’s what their dad had told her to do, back when they’d both left Patch. Yang had laughed and shrugged her dad off, telling him that that’s exactly what she’d been doing ever since the day Ruby was born. It had been her full time job ever since she was a kid.

She was the one who had picked up the pieces of their broken family, when her dad refused to try and Ruby was too young to understand.

She was the broken one now and she wouldn’t let anyone else put her back together.

“The nurse will be here soon to clean the wound,” the doctor said, turning to Taiyang and lowering his voice.

“You’ll feel better once it’s cleaned, right?” Ruby whispered, attempting a smile.

“Yeah, great,” was all Yang could say.

Ruby looked down at their hands and squeezed. “Sorry…”

Yang had been feeling like this for days, ever since seeing Blake again and finding out about Adam’s supposed death. Closed off and distracted, she barely spoke to Ruby or Tai and she was constantly trapped in thought, giving one word replies or simply nodding to everything they said.

She was bitterly aware that the positive vibes she’d spoken to Blake about were now gone, replaced by her own kind of brooding.

Blake. Yang had been desperate to go back and see her each day, and every time she’d wrestle with herself over whether she should or not.

Adam was dead.

Or was he just missing, plotting his next move, planning to crash back into Blake’s life and ruin it even more?

Until Yang found out, she couldn’t face Blake.

The idea that Adam was still out there would shatter her. Yang couldn’t be responsible for that. Not after seeing how relieved Blake had been, how free she felt. Telling her what Qrow had said would only trap her again.

Finding Blake, making her smile, helping her forget the pain even for just a second - those had been the only things keeping Yang from falling into a downward spiral of anger and grief.

But again, Adam had come between them, even through death. Now all that was left was the pain of having to face hard truths.

And the doctor had already hit her with several, standing there with a clipboard, listing details about the crash and how her arm had been crushed beyond repair.

Taiyang nodded along when the man read off another list of things Yang wouldn’t be able to do alone.

“How about we just call me useless? That’s what you’re saying, right?” she snapped.

“Needing help doesn’t make you useless,” Taiyang replied, sending an apologetic look to the doctor.

“Maybe I don’t want help.”

The doctor looked down at his clipboard. “I’ve scheduled minor surgery for next week, to neaten up the broken tissue. I assume it’s still bleeding a little?” Yang nodded, remembering waking up to blood stained bandages and blinding pain the other morning.

The doctor dismissed himself after handing Taiyang a piece of paper from his clipboard, leaving the room in a heavy silence. Taiyang stood up, pacing while reading through whatever was on the page.

“Why did you say that?” Ruby asked, standing up. “You really don’t want our help?”

“Sorry, Ruby, I have to do this on my own.”

“You always say that! You never let me help!”

Yang grabbed Ruby’s shoulder and made her look at her. “I’m the big sister!”

That made Ruby cry and settle back down into her seat, sniffling and breathing heavily. “Let me be the big sister for once!”

Yang smiled for the first time since seeing Blake. “That’s pretty hard when you’re so _tiny_!” She leaned over, ignoring the pain, and pinched Ruby’s rosy cheek.

“Ugh, Yang!” Ruby cried, prying herself away.

Yang saw their dad lean against the wall, still reading, but giving them a glance every so often, a smile on his face.

A little while later the nurse arrived, politely asking Yang questions and unintentionally making her nervous. It wasn’t the first time Yang had had her bandages changed, but that didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach every time she saw the familiar face of the nurse, wearing those white gloves that would always end up red with blood.

Yang tried not to look at the scarred flesh each time, she really did. Every time it looked different to her, and every time it made her wrinkle her nose and look away.

The nurse began gently winding the bandages off, and Ruby and Taiyang left the room, sensing Yang’s discomfort. They knew she wasn’t comfortable with them seeing it like that yet. Not until she herself was able to look at it without disgust or shame.

When the cool air of the room hit bare skin, Yang let out a content little sigh. It felt good to let it breathe, to not have the irritation of the bandages, the restriction. It still hurt, though, and every time Yang moved the skin would tighten, sometimes making her eyes water.

The nurse hurried through the cleaning process, making Yang wince a few times whenever she was too heavy handed. She then started dressing it again, and by the time she was done, Yang was nearly out of it.

The pain was  _so_ tiring but even when she was exhausted, tossing and turning in bed at night, she couldn’t sleep.

After a few curt words, the nurse was gone, gloves still mostly clean.

“That’s new,” Yang muttered to herself, trying to shrug off the discomfort of the tighter bandages. Just as she shuffled herself further into bed, ready for another fight for sleep, there was a knock on the door.

Yang knew it was probably her dad, with how diligent he was he’d most likely been waiting just outside the door the whole time. Still, part of Yang wished it was Blake, despite how complicated things had been since the last time they’d seen each other.

“Come in,” she called out.

“Told ya I’d be back,” Qrow said as he walked in, flask in hand. His hair was a mess, forehead covered in a sheen of sweat as if he’d been running.

“Oh, it’s  _you_ ,” Yang said, sitting up.

“Bad time?” Qrow said, raising an eyebrow and making his way to the window.

“Nope, I was just wondering why you lied to me the other day.”

He crossed his arms, suddenly serious. “Hey, kid, I’m a lot of things, not all of ‘em good, but I'm no liar.”

Yang glared at him through her bangs. “So, what? Adam rose from the dead or something?”

“As far as I know, he’s never  _been_  dead. Where’d you hear that story?”

“I saw Blake, we talked… about some stuff. She told me Adam’s dead.”

“You trust her more than your dear old uncle, huh?”

“You’re drunk literally  _all_ the time, so yeah. You sure you didn’t get it wrong?”

Qrow looked amused. “So that’s what ya think of me?” He shook his head and sat down. “Taurus isn’t dead, Yang.”

“Okay, then why does Blake think he is?”

“Trauma screws with people’s heads,” he said, scratching his chin. Yang frowned at him. “Might’ve been a dream or something.”

“Yeah,” Yang said, rolling her eyes, “I think Blake knows the difference between a dream and real life.”

“Good for her,” Qrow replied. “I’ll humour you, I guess, if Taurus is dead where’s the body?”

Yang looked down, thinking hard. “The doctor said my arm was crushed, and I mean…  _really_ crushed. Like... there was nothing left. Maybe that happened to Adam too?”

Qrow whistled. “Big freakin’ stretch, kid.”

“I’m guessing you have a better idea?” Yang huffed.

“Matter of fact, I do,” he countered, putting his flask to his lips and tipping his head back. “Your friend must’ve seen it on the news, y’know what they’re like with this kinda stuff. They take anything they can and run with it, not even caring when they go off the deep end.”

“So they’re lying to millions of people?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time, kid.”

“What am I gonna do?” Yang asked, mostly to herself, gripping the bed sheets tightly in her hand.

“Nothing.”

“But Blake-”

“Jeez, is she all you think about? Priorities aren’t your strong suit, kiddo.”

Yang blushed, hating the way he looked at her then, smirking like he did. “She’s not all I think about!”

“Mighty defensive about it though, aren’t ya?”

“Whatever.”

Qrow slipped his flask back into his pocket. “Who says you have to tell her?”

“I dunno, my  _conscience_?”

“Conscience? Better off without it.”

“I can’t keep secrets! I suck at that. But I can’t exactly just tell her either. ‘Hey Blake, your abusive douche of a boyfriend who you thought was dead might actually be alive!’ She’d be crushed. You should’ve seen her after she told me, she was smiling - and she hardly  _ever_ smiles, even when I tell her it suits her!”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “Try and get that heart of yours back, kid.”

“What?”

“This Blake girl, she’s got you good.”

“You’re not listening to me,” Yang argued. “Keeping this secret is just as painful as this,” she said, nodding down to her stump. “I can’t hurt Blake like that.”

“Okay, I get it,” he said. “But what’s gonna hurt more? You telling her or you keeping it a secret until she finds out some other way?”

Yang wanted to close her eyes and block it all out. “That’s the problem. I don’t know.”

“You’ll figure it out.” Standing up, he sent her a small smile. “Until then, I’ll dig up anything else I can about that son of a bitch’s disappearance.”

"Anything  _else_?" Yang said, raising an eyebrow. "So you  _did_  figure something out? What the hell? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't give me much of a chance, kid."

"What is it?"

"Taurus is part of a gang, tight-knit group of drug smugglers masquerading as Faunus rights activists. Call themselves the White Fang, so I'm told."

"Okaaay, how does this help exactly?"

"Eh, it doesn't, much," Qrow admitted. "That's why I need you to ask that friend of yours about it. Find out places he could be hiding, people he knows, get it?"

"You want me to interrogate Blake."

"Nah, not interrogate. Just ask her about it, do me a favour, kid."

As he made his way to the door, Yang sighed. “Wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks... for doing this.”

“Anything for one of my two favourite nieces.”

* * *

Blake gripped her book tightly and struggled against her bed sheets in a jolt of panic when Sun poked his head around the door, wide grin on his face.

Apparently Sun had stowaway experience, which had also been one of the reasons why he was in hospital with a couple of black eyes and a concussion.

In other words, he’d been caught.

“Ready to go?” he asked, beaming at her.

“Go where? Sun, I’m reading.”

“Man, stop being a downer! You were super up for it before, y’know, seeing Yang!”

Blake tensed up at the mention of Yang. It had been several days since they’d seen each other, and Blake was decidedly anxious about it. All she thought about was the possibility that now that Yang knew about Adam’s death the blonde would distance herself, brush Blake off as just another problem resolved. She feared she’d been thrown aside again, to struggle through life alone.

Was that how Yang saw her? Just another problem. A burden. And now that it was lifted, Yang had been freed from her saviour routine.

The worst part was that Blake had already claimed Yang as her confidant, the person she wanted by her side if anything else happened to her. Yang had shown her she could be relied on and trusted. A partner, a friend, a…

“ _Hello_? Blake?”

“Sun… I’m busy, okay? We can go some other time.”

Not taking no for an answer, Sun bounced across the room and onto the end of the bed, making the mattress dip and an annoyed Blake bob up and down. “Okay, what’s up? You’re frowning and it’s kinda freaky.”

“Nothing’s up.”

“C’mon, you can tell me!”

Blake tried to ignore him but he seemed to have a talent for irritating her. His long, flexible monkey tail tickled her arm as he moved closer, and she had to yelp out his name to make him stop. “Fine! I don’t think she wants to see me.”

“What? That’s dumb!”

Blake sent him a look. “I think I must have said something wrong without realising.”

“Like what?” Sun asked, absentmindedly waving his tail back and forth.

“She didn’t like me talking about Adam.”

Sun pouted. “Okay, that’s fair, though, right?”

Blake looked down. She hadn’t told Sun much about Adam, or the accident. In truth she still had trouble trusting others, and at times Sun’s intrusive behaviour and easy going attitude irked her. “It’s better that I keep my distance.”

“Whoa, wait! That’s kinda how you  _lose_ friends,” Sun replied.

“I’m not sure we were ever friends in the first place.”

“What? Sure you were! That stuff Yang did for you… you are definitely friends, no doubt about it!”

“She might have done things friends would do,” Blake began, hands shaking. “But we weren’t, Sun. We aren’t. We barely know each other.”

“You want that to change, right? And it won’t unless you go see her.”

“But I don’t know if this is what she wants! She’s so unpredictable and- she’s... she’s everything I needed. She did so much for me, I’m afraid I’m being selfish by wanting to be her friend.”

“Wow, you’re, uh, really overthinking this,” Sun said. “Let’s take a trip down there, c’mon, I know you wanna see her! You look like someone stole your milk or something!”

Blake’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a stereotype.”

It didn’t take long for her to get in the wheelchair with Sun’s help, but she refused to let go of her book.

Just like before, no one paid much attention to the two of them as Sun pushed her up and down hallways, sometimes even breaking into a run. Blake assumed it was because they were Faunus, and in the human sections of the hospital, that either meant invisible or the enemy.

Lucky for them, the humans they saw along the way were too busy with themselves to take notice, whether they were patients or doctors and nurses.

“Okay, remember not to talk about Adam, oh, and try not to give her weird looks. You kinda do that a lot.” Blake turned around to glare at him. “Yeah, like that!”

“I’ve learnt my lesson when it comes to Adam,” she muttered as they passed through a familiar part of the hospital.

Two hallways later and they came to Yang’s room, Sun shaking his head and miming knocking on the door when Blake looked like she wanted to run.

She gave in, heart racing, and softly knocked on the door. A muffled voice called what sounded like “come in” and so she did, waving to Sun as he turned to run off to the cafeteria.

What Blake never would have expected to see when opening the door was sat before her in the shape of Yang, orange tank top tangled around her left arm and her right shoulder as she struggled to slip it off and over her head.

Blake’s eyes immediately wandered down to Yang’s torso and the bandages wrapped around her breasts. Wide-eyed, she dragged her gaze away, but not before taking an unintentional look at Yang’s smooth, toned stomach.

She was a blushing mess by the time Yang noticed her, trying to play it off with a nervous laugh. “Uh... hey Blake.”

“Hey,” she said, still a little uncomfortable. “Need some help?”

“Yeah, I guess I could use a hand,” Yang replied, looking embarrassed and rubbing her neck.

Ruby, who Blake had only just noticed was sat in a chair near the window, finished her phone call and jumped out of her seat. “You made a pun! In Yang language that means you’re feeling better!”

“It was an accident,” Yang replied, sheepish.

“But it was funny!”

“Seriously?” Yang frowned. “Ruby, you never find them funny!”

“I was laughing on the inside…”

Yang smiled, but Blake noticed it was missing its usual brightness, and there was something else there that she couldn’t put her finger on. She decided it didn’t suit Yang, and that it must have been because she was there, intruding.

“Oh, right, Blake! This is Ruby, my little sister. I told you about her before,” Yang said, pulling Ruby in for a bear hug with her left arm. “She’s not great with people so it’d be cool if you two could be friends!”

“Gee, thanks, sis,” Ruby mumbled. “But I don’t need friends when I have you!” Blake stiffened. “Wait, that came out wrong! It’s not that I don’t  _want_ to be friends with you! I, uh, Yang, help... me...”

“See? Told you,” Yang said, grinning.

“I’d love to be friends with you, Ruby,” Blake replied, rolling herself closer to the bed.

Yang raised an eyebrow. “Blake?”

“You needed a hand.”

“Oh, uh, it’s fine! Ruby can do it!”

“No, I want to!” Blake cried, regretting it immediately after. Yang was staring at her, and Blake was sure she was trying to ask a question with that look.

What she’d said to Sun before was true, Yang had been everything she needed. It was now up to Blake to be everything  _Yang_ needed. Even if it was helping her change, or reading to her, comforting her. All of those things made Blake feel less selfish for wanting to be close to her.

To her surprise, Yang laughed. “Sure, if you really want to!”

It didn’t take long for Blake to realise how awkward their positions were and how easier it would have been for her to give it up to Ruby. She sighed and reached up from the wheelchair, Yang leaning over, eyes closed - for what reason Blake couldn’t say. But it made her even more nervous.

Her fingers brushed over Yang’s warm, flushed skin and gently pulled the tank top over her head, which was a struggle with thick hair like Yang’s.

Yang opened her eyes, now half naked, and sent a small smile Blake’s way before reaching over to the drawer beside the bed and pulling out another tank top.

“Yep, she has a drawer full of those things,” Ruby said to Blake as she helped her sister put it on.

“Says the girl who owns twelve of the same cloak.”

“Only because they rip easily!”

Yang reached over, picked up a thick looking sock and Ruby helped her pull it onto her stump. She saw Blake staring, and held up her left hand. “It’s for the pain. I promise I have better fashion sense.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“You think  _this_ is ugly, but what’s underneath is next level gross.”

“It’s not ugly,” Blake said. “It’s practical.”

“I think it looks good!” Ruby chimed in. “It’s like a sock puppet! An old, worn one that looks like it smells but it really doesn’t.”

“Don’t give her ideas,” Blake said, smiling. “I’m pretty sure she’d put on a show if she could.”

“You’re lucky I don’t have the energy,” Yang said, reclining on the bed.

“It’s a miracle! She’s resting!” Ruby cried, pretending to faint.

“Yup,” Yang said, eyes closed. “I guess that means you can stop babysitting me now, Rubes.”

“Nope! A little sister’s work is never done!” Ruby announced, hands on hips. “I’ll go get you something from the cafeteria!” She flew off in a blur before Blake or Yang could react.

“Man, that really took it out of me,” Yang said, sighing. “Gonna take a nap.” She glanced over at Blake. “You... don’t mind, right?”

Blake’s heart sank. She was right, Yang didn’t want her around anymore. “I came prepared,” she mumbled, holding up her book.

Yang laughed. “It’s like you have a library in your hospital room or something.”

“A girl can dream.”

“Mhm,” Yang sighed and settled further into the bed.

Five minutes passed, each one making Blake feel more and more like an intrusion.

Yang’s breathing seemed to even out after a while, and however much she tried, Blake couldn’t take her eyes off of the blonde. There was a peacefulness to the sleeping Yang that more or less disappeared when she was awake. Her mouth was slightly apart, golden hair tumbling over the pillow every time she exhaled.

Blake looked down at the book in her lap, contemplating whether she should just leave and never look back. Yang hadn’t  _said_ she wanted Blake gone, but she wasn't acting like she wanted her around either.

With a sigh, Blake leaned down, ready to steer herself over to the door, when all of a sudden Yang stirred.

“Don’t go.”

“Yang?”

“Stay with me.”

“You’re sleeping,” Blake whispered, and bit her lip.

“Huh? Weird. I thought I was talking to you,” she said, a goofy grin on her face, eyes still closed. “Unless I’m dreaming of you.”

Blake looked down again, cheeks flushed. “Go back to sleep, Yang.”

“But I need a babysitter until Ruby gets back.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll be your babysitter. You know that means you have to do everything I say, right?”

“Everything?”

“ _Everything_. Now go back to sleep.”

For a while after that, Blake kept looking up from her book to check on Yang. At one point she had to bury her face in the pages of her book to try and snap herself out of her giddy daze. She’d never been so happy to be proven wrong.

Yang wanted her to stay.

She soon went back to reading, and just as she was turning a page, totally enthralled by the story, Yang let out a groan. The blonde began tossing and turning, sweat beading on her forehead and dripping off of her. Her legs were tangled up in the sheets, making her panic in her feverish sleep.

Blake quickly put her book down and pushed herself closer to the bed, uneasy. “Yang? Yang, wake up!”

“Bl-”

“I’m here.” Blake flinched when Yang’s hand grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her forward onto the bed.

“Blake… he's..."

“Yang,” Blake whispered, shakily pulling herself up and onto the bed until she was laying close to Yang, repeating her name. She sat, holding her, brushing Yang’s hair out of her face and wiping away the tears that fell. Overwhelmed, Blake felt herself give in to the emotions she'd been hiding, pushing away and trying to ignore. All of the pain Yang was in, physically, emotionally, was still weighing on her. It was her fault. She kept her mouth tightly closed, tucking her head into the crook of Yang's neck and swallowing the sob in her throat. “Please wake up.”

“Blake?” Yang asked, slowly opening her eyes. Her chest was still rising and falling heavily, skin shimmering with sweat.

Blake wasn't so taken aback by the deep red of Yang's eyes this time, but as they looked at her, staring, she felt her stomach drop. "Yang, your eyes... What did you see?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine..." Her eyes gradually faded back to violet, but Blake wasn't convinced. She brushed her hand along Yang's arm, earning a shiver from the blonde. “I’m used to Ruby having nightmares but… being on the other side... that’s, uh,  _new_.”

Blake stared at her. “You’re always too busy looking out for others you forget about yourself.”

Then, without warning, Yang unravelled into a loud sob, eyes clamped shut, searching for Blake with her left hand.

For a while they stayed like that, Blake not saying a word, but letting her hands do the talking. She held Yang, and rubbed her back when she leaned forward, head in hands, wearing herself out from crying. Blake's eyes would search Yang's flushed face but always come back to settle on Yang's stump, the stab in her heart every time she saw it never hurting any less.

"I swore to myself that I wouldn't let him do this to me."

"Adam?" Blake quickly said.

"He's still here, he's in my head."

Blake felt sick. "Yang, I-" She reached over and tucked some unruly hair behind Yang's ear.

"I relive it every time I close my eyes, Blake, it's like I'm right there in the middle of that road again and he's smiling at me from behind the wheel, taunting me. All I do is lay there and take it!"

"He's dead. He can't hurt us anymore. We don't have to talk about hi-"

"We can talk about him," Yang interrupted. "I was wrong, before, we can't just pretend he doesn't exist. Blake, look at me, I know he's haunting you too!"

That hit a nerve, and Blake's ears immediately perked up. "What do you want me to say, Yang? Of course he's haunting me. Every day of my life was like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. It became the type of life I couldn't run away from! He trapped me, and then as soon as someone tried to help, I ended up getting them hurt too!" Sniffling, she dared another look into Yang's eyes. "He'd always call me bad luck. I'm a black cat Faunus, a bad omen. If I crossed your path I'd ruin your life. Eventually he convinced me that all of those things he did to me were my own fault. And I believed him."

Yang, who had been shocked into silence, placed her left hand on Blake's shoulder. "Blake, I... I'm sorry, I wish I could hug you."

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked, teary eyed. "You can."

"With my one arm and your injured leg? Yeah, no, that's gonna be hard."

"When has doing things the hard way stopped you?" Blake said playfully. "Yang, you stopped to pick up your shopping bag when we were being chased by Adam's gang. Nothing we've done since we met has been easy."

Yang chuckled and looked down at their hands, wriggling her pinkie around Blake's. "Okay, you got me there."

Before Blake could say anything else, Yang's arm pulled her forward into a hug. Almost instinctively, Blake pressed her forehead to Yang's and closed her eyes. She took in a breath, taking in the scent of Yang, which was mostly just the scent of the hospital room with a hint of citrus shampoo. She hadn't even realised that she'd stopped crying a while ago, the security she felt when she was there, touching Yang, surprised even herself.

Slowly opening her eyes, she caught Yang staring at her, grinning. "Proved you wrong."

"What?"

"Not  _everything_  we've done since we met has been done the hard way. This was  _easy_ ," Yang said quietly, pulling Blake in close enough to bump noses.

There was a loud thump outside, like something had crashed straight into the wall, and Yang and Blake quickly sat upright at the same time, sending each other worried looks. Blake thought that maybe it was Ruby, she did seem like the type to rush everywhere after all.

But then the door flew open and Sun appeared, out of breath and red faced. "Guys! There's... okay, sorry, I ran here." He bent over, and took in a few deep breaths. "Two shady looking guys just went into your room and I really don't think they're here to visit!"

"What?!" Blake cried, hurriedly trying to reach for the wheelchair.

Yang jumped out of bed and grabbed one of the handles, carefully helping Blake back into it. "That doesn't sound good."

Sun pushed open the door. "Yeah, no kidding."

The three of them raced through the hospital, earning disgruntled look after disgruntled look from just about everyone. Sun was erratically pushing the wheelchair, nearly crashing every few seconds, stuttering out an apology to Blake each time while Yang went off ahead, kicking open doors for them.

They got to the FCU, hot and bothered and hardly breathing.

Sharing a hesitant look with Blake, Sun decided to grab the door handle and turn it... slowly.

"Sun, please, I'm dying here," Yang whispered.

"Right, sorry," he replied, and swiftly pushed the door open.

He took a peek inside, followed by Yang, and then Blake, nervously wheeling herself in.

There was no one inside. It was exactly how she'd left it.

Except the stuffed black cat toy sat on the bed. That definitely wasn't there before.

"Okay, now I'm officially creeped out!" Sun cried, backing up into the wall.

"You're not the only one," Yang agreed, taking a look at Blake.

She felt faint, and if she hadn't been sat down she was sure she would have collapsed. "It's..."

"There's a note," Yang said after taking a closer look. "Blake, we can just throw it out."

"No, it's fine, I feel like I need to read it," she said, moving forward. Sun helped her out of the wheelchair and onto the edge of the bed and Yang sat as close to her as she could, peering over her shoulder.

Hands shaking, heart pounding, she picked up the note.

_We will meet again, my dearest Blake._

She could hear his voice, see his face,  _feel_  him. In so few words he had broken her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the whole time i was writing this chapter i was like "how do i make adam even creepier?" and huzzah!
> 
> i really didn't plan for this story to have so much drama. thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get even more yangsty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i'm kind of nervous about posting this chapter but here goes i guess.
> 
> thanks again for leaving kudos and to the people who consistently comment, i appreciate you guys! <3
> 
> i hope you enjoy the chapter!

“Guys, relax, it’s probably just a dumb prank by some loser who has way too much time on his hands,” Sun said, picking up the stuffed cat toy and tossing it up in the air a few times.

“Stop!” Blake hissed, ears twitching. “It’s not a prank, Sun, and you know it! It’s Adam. Somehow… somehow he survived the crash and I know he won’t stop until he ends this on his own terms.”

Yang felt a stab of guilt. Seeing Blake so angry, so upset, all she could think about was how wrong she had been to be so torn about telling her. Wincing, she placed her hand on Blake’s thigh. “We need to calm down. This isn’t gonna help anyone.”

“I don’t need _help_ , Yang. I need an escape.”

Sun blinked and dropped the toy. “Huh? Escape?”

“I need to get out of here,” Blake repeated. “Now.”

“Blake, I’m pretty sure you know I’d do anything for you. I’ve already done things for you I never thought I’d do for anyone other than my sister, but this - this is…”

“Too much, I know,” Blake said quietly, looking down at Yang’s hand on her thigh. “I don’t expect anything else from you.”

Yang frowned at that. It felt like a goodbye, bittersweet and too final. Blake was looking at her strangely, a sad smile on her face. Panicking, she blurted out the first thing she could think of. “You can live with me!”

Blake’s eyes widened and Sun nearly slipped off the bed behind her. “What? Yang?”

She blushed. “Uh, I meant when we get out of here, obviously. And I didn’t mean live with me  _live with me_.”

“Uh, so this is some kind of weird girl language I’m not meant to understand, right?” Sun asked, eyebrows raised.

“No Sun, I don’t understand either,” Blake said, staring at Yang. “You live with your family, Yang, I can’t intrude on your life even more.”

“I live with Ruby!” Yang said. “Don’t sweat it, she’ll be fine, she really likes you!”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“'Yes'sounds good!”

“Yang, I can’t - what if Adam comes after me again? You’ll be in danger, your sister will-”

Yang shrugged. “We’ll go on the run or something.”

“You’re not serious,” Blake deadpanned.

“Well what else could we do?”

“There won’t be a  _we_ , Yang. Adam is my problem to solve. Alone.”

“Blake,” Yang said, deadly serious. “All of this made him  _my_ problem too. If you think I’m gonna sit back and let you face him alone, you don’t know me much at all.” The sun disappeared behind a cloud, draping the room in shadow. “Besides, the ultimate revenge would be kicking his butt together, right?” She winked but it was lost on Blake, who was staring at the floor, the crumpled note still in her hands.

“After everything he survived, how can you think we stand a chance against him?”

“You survived too,” Yang said, frowning. “We survived.”

“But you’re-”

“Missing a part, yeah, I know.”

Blake looked up, staring Yang right in the eyes. “I didn’t mean that.”

“Well it’s true. No point tiptoeing around it like Ruby does. You don’t need to feel bad for talking about it.” Yang noticed Blake’s lips purse. “I’ve been touching it more… y’know, just to get used to it. It’s… kinda helped. You can, too, if it’ll make it less awkward.”

Blake recoiled a little. “There’s nothing awkward about it. I just thought, well… maybe ignoring it was what you wanted me to do.”

Smiling, Yang shook her head. “Yeah, I’ve learnt that that’s probably the worst thing people could do.”

“Then I won’t,” Blake replied, smiling back.

“But you’ll think about it? Moving in with us?” Yang tried, hating herself for pressuring an already on edge Blake.

“Yang,” Blake said, searching her face before giving in. “Yes, I’ll think about it.”

“Room for one more?” Sun said, popping his head back up.

Blake twisted around to look at him. “You don’t have a place to stay?”

He ducked his head. “Well, I guess I did… but that sorta flew out the window when I was caught and beat up.”

“You were seriously _living_ on that ship?”

“Yep!”

“Sorry Sun, no can do. Well, not unless you can fit in a dog bed,” Yang offered.

“C’mon, look at me, I’m used to sleeping rough!”

The next few days were spent full of pain and anguish for Yang, between surgery and her obsessive worry over Blake. The pain in her arm had subsided into a numbness that she wished she could ignore. It stopped her from moving as much, and the doctor’s insistence that she stay in bed and wait it out only frustrated her more.

Seeing Blake had become a rare occurrence, and the one time she’d seen Sun he had been dismissive towards pretty much all of her questions. The only thing he’d say was that Blake was tired all the time, barely sleeping and spending all her time thinking.

Yang could relate, that was all she could do while she was bedridden, her dad and Ruby unintentionally suffocating her with their constant presence.

She had a big heart with enough room for everybody, especially her family, but sometimes even they were too much.

She needed some time alone to listen to her body, to let her arm and her pride heal. Laying there day after day, listening to Ruby trying to fill her ‘protective sister’ shoes and her dad constantly failing to assure her that him taking time off work was ‘no problem’ was taking a toll and stunting her recovery.

It wasn’t doing them any good either, judging by how often Ruby yawned and the deep lines and dark circles under her dad’s eyes. She couldn’t feel anything other than the shame of dragging them down with her. They shouldn’t have to spend all their time babysitting her, forgetting to look after themselves in the process.

Her conflicted thoughts were driving Yang insane, the four white walls of the hospital room doing nothing to distract her.

Family was there to love you, protect you, support you even when you thought you didn’t need it. So why was she being so difficult?

Every time she took them for granted on the bad days, when she’d push them away and sulk, she thought of Blake. The Faunus girl had nobody there to fuss over her, to tell her that everything would be okay, to support her when she couldn’t support herself.

Yang felt ashamed the first time she’d told her dad to get himself back into his old routine and go back to work. He had quirked an eyebrow at her and insisted he would stay until she could look after herself, before he yawned and proved her point. He was taking on too much, and so was Ruby.

In fact Ruby had been even more stubborn when Yang had suggested she quit playing nurse and go back to school. Her little sister had made a few friends here and there with Yang’s help, but she still wouldn’t accept going back without her big sister. Her friends were Yang’s friends. It just wouldn’t be the same without her. Or so Ruby said, probably as an excuse to avoid all the attention and the inevitable questions about the accident.

By the fifth time Yang mentioned it, along with a push from their dad, who had caved in on Yang’s second try, Ruby hung her head and agreed.

She would finally accept that it was the best for all three of them two minutes before she and Taiyang left the hospital, aiming to get back to their normal routine the next morning.

The hospital was lit yellow by the setting sun and Yang was watching the way the dust hung in the air by the window.

Ruby was packing up a bag of things she’d bought from home, including her handheld game console and a half eaten bag of cookies that Yang had heard her munching on while putting it away. “You’ll really be okay on your own?”

Yang looked away from the window and blinked away her daydream. “Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to be the older sister. I’m usually the one bugging you with these questions!”

Ruby held her head up high. “Answer the question!”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I can’t hear you!”

“I’ll be fine!” Yang almost yelled.

“Okay, that was waaay better,” Ruby said with a sweet smile. She shoved the bag of cookies at Yang, who grabbed three, before throwing her arms around her shoulders. “I’ll come see you after school tomorrow!”

“Sure,” Yang said quietly, rubbing Ruby’s back.

“I'll bring cookies!”

Yang laughed, waving Ruby off as she let the door click closed behind her.

Then there was silence, and for once Yang felt she could appreciate it. There were still sore spots on her body, the biggest one on her chest where a gigantic, purple bruise had sprung up out of nowhere. The muscle aches and the multitude of various sized cuts running all the way down from her ribs to her thighs couldn’t be forgotten either. All in all, the silence lowered her into a doze and melted away the pain for awhile.

Just when she was at the edge of full blown, heavenly sleep, which she had missed  _so much_ , there was a knock on the door.

“Yeah?” Yang grumbled, trying to prop herself up. The door opened to reveal Blake, all tousled hair and sleepy eyes. Her feline ears were droopy and she looked more than a little downtrodden. Even so, Yang brightened up at the sight of her. “Hey stranger, long time no see.” She rubbed her eyes and motioned to the bed.

Blake smiled weakly, as if it hurt her to do so. “It’s barely been a week, Yang.”

“Yeah, and that’s a  _really_ long time to go without seeing your pretty face!”

“Pretty? Are you kidding?” Blake took a look in the mirror beside Yang’s bed before sitting herself down.

“Yeah, pretty!”

“I think the black eye and the swollen lip would say otherwise.”

“When you’re pretty, you’re pretty.” Yang shrugged. “A few measly cuts and bruises don’t change that.” Blake smiled and shuffled further up the bed, fiddling with the sheets. Yang blinked, noticing Blake’s leg. “Hold up, did Sun finally run your wheelchair off the road?”

“According to the doctor, I’m all better.” Blake tilted her head. “It was only a laceration after all.”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah.”

“You… don’t sound happy about it.”

“I am. I’m happy about not having to fear for my life every time Sun pushes me around in that wheelchair. But I’m also sad, and angry.”

“Why? You’re getting better!”

“That’s just it,” Blake muttered. “I got away with a cut on the leg and a black eye while you… lost a part of you. I should have been punished more, it’s only fair.”

“You’re a big over thinker, huh?” Yang sighed. “You think this is meant to be some kind of punishment? No way. Blake, sometimes bad things just happen. They happen to everyone. This is just another thing on a long list of bad things to happen to me. I’m pretty sure you have a long list too. It doesn’t mean we deserved it.  _You_ didn’t deserve any of this.”

Blake sighed and looked to the window. “I knew you’d do this.”

“Do what?”

“Put a smile back on my face,” Blake said, sure enough - smiling, “even though right now I don’t feel like smiling.”

Yang blushed and avoided Blake’s eyes. “Yeah… I, uh, always tell Ruby to fake a smile until she meets the people who bring it out naturally.”

“That reminds me. I bumped into your sister on the way here,” Blake said. “Literally.”

“Oh yeah, she’s clumsy like that.”

“She’s very… awkward.”

“Yep, that’s Rubes for you.”

“When she talked to me about you though, she was like a different person.” Blake laughed a little. “You’re her hero, you know?”

Yang felt her face heat up, sweating under Blake’s gaze. “Oh, she says stuff like that all the time. That’s what I get for reading her all those stories when she was a kid!”

“She means it. I could tell.”

“Yeah....”

“You’re… my hero too, actually.”

“Aw, Blake, you’re too kind!”

“I’m serious.”

“When aren’t you?” Yang teased, despite her heartbeat going into overdrive. Blake always looked at her weirdly, but what it was about her stare Yang couldn’t figure out.

“I should’ve bought my book to throw at you.”

“Hey, I’m still healing here!”

Blake laughed, a sound Yang hadn’t heard before, at least not so loud and uncontrolled. That was the thing about Blake, she seemed to always be in control, calm, collected. Yang loved seeing the parts of her that weren’t. If only she could get to experience those moments more.

One of the _other_ things about Blake was how easily she was able to make Yang hot and bothered.

She took a deep breath. “Hey, Blake? I was wondering if you’d tie my hair up? I haven’t been able to brush it much and it’s getting pretty wild. Plus this room is totally like a sauna right now.” With a smile, she held up her arm, revealing Blake’s black bow still tied around it.

“Sure,” Blake interrupted, deftly slipping it from Yang’s wrist and twirling it through her fingers.

“Thanks!” Yang moved forward, giving Blake enough room to get behind her.

“Hm, black looks good with yellow,” Blake mused as she gently gathered Yang’s unruly mane in her hands, fingers brushing Yang’s neck and making her shiver. She then tied a neat ribbon with her bow and sat back to admire her handiwork.

Yang looked back at her, a wide grin on her face, eyes mischievous. “You don’t need to tell me that! Bumblebee was my baby for a reason!”

At the mention of her motorcycle, now a pile of scrap metal, Yang’s smile faded. Looking away from Blake, she chewed her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was remind Blake of that night and every tragedy that had come with it.

Adam was likely still on her mind, along with the fear and mystery of that weird toy she’d received, and Yang had a feeling Blake had come to her room to try and forget about all of it.

Blake let out a shaky breath, reaching out to place her hand on Yang’s shoulder, but then the door opened and she recoiled.

Ruby stood in the doorway, out of breath. Upon the sight of Yang’s hair in a ponytail, tied with a certain black bow, she gasped. “You must  _really_ like her!”

“Ruby?!” Yang cried.

She looked over at Blake. “Yang doesn’t let just  _anyone_  touch her hair. The story of her first haircut is legendary in our family!” When Yang made a face at her, Ruby’s cheeks darkened and she had to stop herself from covering her mouth. Realising how rude she’d been, she stepped over to the bed. “Um, hi Blake!”

“Hi, Ruby,” Blake said, taking a look at a flustered Yang and smiling.

“Just here to get my keys, that I forgot, bye!” she rushed to say before grabbing her keys from the table and shooting out of the room.

Yang accidentally leaned back into Blake, but instead of pushing her away or moving, Blake put her hand on Yang’s arm. “I wish I had her energy.”

Yang laughed nervously. “Same here.” She tilted her head back to look at Blake. “Jeez, we sound like bitter old ladies.”

“We’ve earned that right,” Blake replied, laughing.

What was the uncomfortable position of Yang leaning most of her weight on Blake slowly became them lying next to each other, then them leaning on their sides, heads propped up on the pillows. Yang was uncomfortable to say the least, she was still struggling with balance but the way Blake’s hair looked messily strewn across the pillow made her endure it.

It was getting dark and they had been talking about nothing for over an hour, watching the room turn from red to purple to blue along with the sky outside.

It was peaceful, or it would have been if not for the butterflies fighting each other in Yang’s stomach. Each time she moved she felt sick because of how pretty Blake looked, up so close, with their faces inches apart.

Her left arm was going numb underneath her and she had no choice but to settle down on her back. She felt the bed dip slightly and heard shuffling before she noticed Blake beside her, still lying on her side, looking at her as if she were the mouse to her cat.

Despite being more accepting of her stump herself, Yang still found it hard to let others see or touch it.

So, she tried to cover it with her left hand. And Blake must have seen, because she immediately put her own hand on top of Yang’s. “What are you doing?”

“Had an itch,” Yang mumbled.

“Seriously?” Blake narrowed her eyes. “Take it from me, hiding a part of yourself doesn’t help.”

“I can’t hide a part of myself if it’s not even  _there._ ”

“It’s still part of you,” Blake insisted, “a part of who you are.”

“I’m not ashamed anymore,” Yang blurted out. “I’m just… afraid of rejection, I guess.”

“I won’t ever reject you, Yang.”

“Other people might. People back home, my friends, or just people I know from around Beacon. It’s like I’m not  _me_ anymore. Will I even fit in there now?”

Blake shook her head. “I didn’t know you before all of this happened,” she began, “but I know you were strong, brave and a little... impulsive.”

“A lot impulsive, you can say it,” Yang said with a small laugh.

“A lot impulsive.” Blake’s hand slowly took Yang’s. “That’s still you, here and now.”

“I dunno. I was defeated. I still am.”

“Defeated would mean you didn’t get back up again.”

Yang nodded weakly, wanting to shrug it off and pretend she hadn’t bought any of it up. She’d only dug herself deeper into wallowing in self pity.

Again, she looked over at Blake, whose lips were parted slightly, hot breath hitting Yang’s face. Her yellow eyes followed Yang’s every move until she said, “I’d like to touch it.”

Yang’s heart nearly imploded on itself and she was sure she was turning as red as Ruby’s cloak. “Huh?”

“The other day-” Blake started, clearly rethinking her words. “Nevermind. Forget it.”

“Oh,” Yang breathed. “My arm.”

“But you wanted to hide i-”

“If it’s you, it’s okay.” Yang smiled. “Just, uh... be gentle with me.”

Everything about their current position was intimate, but nothing Yang had ever experienced was as intimate at Blake slowly reaching over and placing her hand on Yang’s right shoulder. The way she looked across at her, asking again for permission, made Yang’s heart race. Gradually, Blake’s hand moved down and stopped at the bandaged stump. Yang grimaced when she touched her. There wasn’t much feeling, just the warmth from Blake’s hand and a little tingling. Still, it forced her to close her eyes and fight the urge to cry.

Somehow having Blake there, feeling it too, made it seem so much more real.

“Weird, huh?”

“Not weird.”

“C’mon, Blake, be honest.”

“It’s not weird. It’s different, sure, but it’s still  _you_.”

Yang let herself cry and Blake dried the few tears she shed, staying close to her for a while after that. Her hand never left Yang’s stump, tracing circles over the bandages as they both talked as if it came naturally to her.

“Do you know why I came here tonight?” Blake asked out of the blue, softly placing her palm to Yang's skin. “I was afraid.”

Yang frowned. “Why?”

“I’ve been seeing shadows everywhere." She looked down at her hand and took a shaky, uneven breath. "Everywhere I look I see him, Yang.” Blake’s voice cracked. “I can’t escape.”

“Blake…”

“Being with you, it’s the only way I can feel safe,” she whimpered, gripping Yang’s tank top. “But I feel like I’m intruding, you’ve got your own problems, and here I am piling mine right on top! It’s so selfish, Yang, I’m sorry!” Yang said nothing, just stroked Blake’s hair and listened. “I’m trying to keep you all to myself and it’s not right… I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You should.”

“Blake, I’m here for you whenever you need me.”

“The closer I get to you, the closer  _he_  gets to you.”

“I’m not scared of him anymore,” Yang said, jaw clenched. Adam had been like a bad dream for a while, but now Yang was beginning to wake up. “I’m ready for whatever he’s planning.”

Blake scowled at her. “You shouldn’t say that out loud.”

“Why not? I’m loud and proud! Hey Adam, come get me!” she shouted, making Blake pounce on her. “Whoa, kitty cat!”

“Don’t call me that,” Blake said flatly, glaring at her.

Yang laughed and poked her nose. “I’ll protect you.”

The room was almost pitch black by the time Yang yawned and stretched her legs out. Blake was still holding onto her, and Yang was amazed by how long the dark haired girl could stay still. She figured it was thanks to all the reading she did.

“Blake,” she slurred, giddy with exhaustion but not wanting to be torn away from Blake. “Are you stayi…”

Her sentence was cut off when her head hit the pillow and she slipped into a doze, still mumbling incoherent words. Blake hadn’t said anything, but Yang could feel her fingers brush against her arm.

Yang was somewhere between asleep and awake when she felt the bed shift. There was a gentle breeze from the open window and a warm, inviting presence beside her, leaning over, bending down.

Cool, soft lips pressed a kiss to her cheek, lingering for a moment before slowly pulling away. Yang groaned, tossing and turning in her sleep, convinced it was all a dream.

She would wake up the next morning alone in a messy bed to the news that Blake had taken off during the night, leaving nothing behind except the kiss that Yang swore she could still feel on her skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god damn it, blake.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A time-skip means even more yangst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!  
> i don't have much to say about this chapter other than i'm sorry for all the angst (even though i myself am a sucker for it)  
> i hope you enjoy this chapter!

A strong wind blew through Yang’s hair, sweeping it across her face as she leaned against the railing, thumbing through a few pictures of Zwei and their dad Ruby had sent her phone. She took a deep breath of sea air and slipped it back into her pocket.

Work was taking her far from home again.

There was something Yang loved about being surrounded by strangers. Going where nobody knew you and couldn’t judge you… or your prosthetic right arm.

When she’d first set foot on the ship, she’d noticed a few inquisitive looks at the black and yellow appendage now attached to her stump. It had been her idea to spray paint it those colours, but she soon realised that it only made it stand out more.

That wasn’t exactly what she wanted.

It had been ten months since Blake’s disappearance, six months since Yang had been fitted with a robotic arm and two months since her dad and Qrow had bought her a new motorcycle and sent her on her way to take back control of her life, which had involved dropping out of school and getting a job as a delivery girl.

That had led her here, on her first overseas journey away from Vale, on a ship, surrounded by buzzing tourists.

And buzzing was definitely the right word. She couldn’t go anywhere on the ship without being pushed out of the way by flustered people taking photos or chasing their kids around the deck. Most of the passengers were Faunus, which was a given considering their destination.

The island of Menagerie.

Yang had known beforehand that Menagerie was a Faunus safe haven. Her boss had practically screamed at her to keep her distance and not indulge herself while she was there, to not disrupt the peace. Faunus were afraid of humans, but as her boss had also warned, so should she be of them.

She was being paid to deliver the package and get out. Simple.

Or not.

Because Yang couldn’t look at a Faunus without thinking of Blake, and thinking of Blake wasn’t good for her.

She’d shut down after Blake abandoned her and reopened old wounds. All of the progress she thought she’d made was undone, and she had found herself thrown back into denial and anger, all of her emotions regressing.

For a while Yang had been swept up in an uncontrollable whirlwind of emotions, fanning her flames. She’d wanted to run after Blake, to search every corner of Vale, maybe even the world, for her. Ruby had done everything she could to explain how she didn’t need to and how Qrow and the police would do that for her.

They had. And they hadn’t found anything.

Blake, like Adam, had seemingly fallen off of the map. No clues, no trace, nothing. It was like Blake was used to disappearing.

Qrow had spent many late night phone calls with Yang making it clear that the police were doing their best, but she could never accept it. The frequent thoughts she had of Blake and what had happened to her were swiftly turning into an unhealthy obsession. It hadn’t been long before it had pried her attention away from school, friends, even her family.

That was when Taiyang and Qrow had agreed getting her back on the road would benefit her and they’d bought her a new bike between them.

The bike had been just the push she needed to get back out there, so she quit school and got a job as a delivery girl all in the same day.

Months later and Blake was still on her mind, but as fleeting, bittersweet thoughts.

She sighed and fiddled with her metal hand, clanging it on the railing. For once the deck wasn’t crowded and Yang could look out to sea undisturbed, the sky above as blue and clear as the water below.

Seagulls sang in the sky as they came in close to land, bells ringing in the distance. Yang tilted her head back and flipped up her sunglasses to get a better look.

Menagerie looked like any other sunshine and beach resort from a distance. For as far as Yang could see, squinting, there was an expanse sand and behind that, trees bordered by towering mountains.

She smiled to herself and let her sunglasses slide back down. However unfriendly she imagined the Faunus would be towards her, the scenery more than made up for it. It was a far cry from the city and the torturous four walls of her hospital room.

The ship docked soon after, pushing Yang into the bustling crowd, elbows prodding her and a large bear Faunus shoving her which nearly resulted in her falling backwards into the water.

If she were any other place, being shoved like that would’ve prompted her to start a fight, but here… she needed to be careful.

Bumblebee 2.0, which Ruby had excitedly named Yang’s new motorcycle, was still sitting in the hold, along with the package she was supposed to be delivering.

Yang had been on her way to collect it, flipping her keys in her right hand before she was carried away on the strong current of the crowd. She tried to fight back but there was no point in using all of her energy like that on such a hot day.

She’d wait it out, get herself a drink, chill by the beach for a bit.

Taking a long look around, Yang suddenly felt out of place. She'd never seen so many Faunus in one place before. She was the only human around, outnumbered. She’d expected that, but it didn’t stop her from feeling uncomfortable.

There were stalls selling fruit and vegetables and all other kinds of trade, merchants calling out to potential customers as they passed. Everything about the place was bustling. Faunus couples walked hand in hand, families played together on the sand, groups of friends passed her, talking and laughing with each other.

She made her way along the beach, shaded by tall palm trees, weaving in and out of stacks of crates.

As she came to the more populated area, she found she could relax a bit more. Things felt more familiar there, with the buildings made of wood and the mountains sitting behind them, painting a beautiful picture.

Yang came to a stop at the top of a hill, taking a moment to awe at the view. She felt sticky, her clothes were clinging to her and her bangs were stuck to the side of her face.

After a moment to catch her breath, she made her way down the hill's other side, dust clouds kicking up and hanging in the air above the dirt path. She dug around in her pocket for some money, earning some glares from passing Faunus.

Did they think she was there to cause trouble? She couldn't blame them.

Sweating, she stumbled upon a busy shopping area, the loud hum of chatter smothering her just as much as the heat. She found a small, dingy bar, hidden away from the crowd and stepped inside.

Which might have been a mistake, she realised, upon the silence she was greeted with. It wasn't what Yang would call busy, there were a few Faunus sat at the bar, nothing like the full to the brim clubs she'd sneaked into with friends back at Beacon.

That wasn't what bothered her. It was the way they looked at her, accusingly, as if she'd already done something wrong. All at once she was hit with their judgements, just like she had been when she'd returned to school and everyone had bombarded her with questions, never giving her a chance to answer.

This time they were silent questions, from strangers, and somehow that was worse.

Clenching her jaw, she took long strides over to the bar. "I'll have whatever this can get me," she said, sliding some Lien over the cool surface of the bar.

The bartender grunted and wiped away some sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm before taking the money and turning his back to her.

Yang let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. At least she hadn't caused a bar fight like she'd expected.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a fox Faunus ogling her robotic arm, and had to stop herself from moving it from it's place leaning on the bar. His ears twitched and he pulled the hood he was wearing over his face, hunching further over the bar before taking a sip of his drink.

"Here," came a rough voice, making Yang snap her head back around. The bartender slammed down the glass, ice clattering. "I don't want trouble."

"Neither do I," Yang said, sincerely, and downed the drink in one.

She sat there for some time, watching the ice melt in her glass. Until she couldn't take the staring any longer and stomped out, intending to pick up the package, deliver it and get back on the ship for a return journey as soon as possible.

To think she was excited about the trip up until not too long ago was laughable. She wasn't welcome here. There was nothing here for her.

Pushing through the crowd, unburdened by her previous attempts to enjoy herself, Yang made her way through a particularly busy part of the market. It was like an oven, the sun beating down on her, and there was loud yelling in both of her ears. With a huff, she shimmied past a sheep Faunus and her son, who was wailing and grabbing anything and anyone he could find.

Including Yang.

He had reached up enough to snatch a hold of Yang's right hand, tugging on it roughly until she sharply turned, panicking. The boy cried some more, sniffling, cheeks flushed and damp with tears. Yang knew that look. She'd seen it on Ruby's face all too often. Cooing, she leaned over, the boy's little hand still in her own metal one.

She opened her mouth to say something, leaning further down to look him in the eyes, before he was hauled up and away by his mother. Yang felt like she'd been slapped when the Faunus woman sneered, looking at her up and down, shaking her head.

Before she had the chance to react, she was pulled away again, balling her fists by her sides.

Getting back to the ship was her top priority now. She wouldn't be sidetracked by the crowd again. No distractions.

She wriggled past a fruit stall, accidentally knocking it a little too hard and sending a dozen oranges rolling off down the hill. She winced and took off at a jog, letting go and chuckling to herself when she rounded the corner.

Pressing her back to the wall, she caught her breath, kicking up some dirt with her boot. Then, she took off her sunglasses and tucked them into the pocket of her shirt before looking up again, the sun harsh on her eyes.

She squinted hard, heart pounding.

Those black cat ears popping out from the small crowd gathered by the building across from her were unmistakable.

Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes, not believing what she was seeing, Yang squinted and looked over again.

Yeah,  _definitely_ Blake.

She wanted to yell her name and wave with both arms... just to show Blake that she could. She wanted to sprint over without a word and scoop her up in a bear hug, just to show her that she  _could_.

In the end she did neither because Sun, bright eyed and messy-haired, jogged up to Blake from behind and swung his arms around her shoulders without a care in the world.

The Blake Yang remembered would have pushed him off immediately, and Yang still expected her to, but she didn't. She laughed and turned to him, saying something Yang couldn't hear.

Out of all the ways Yang had imagined they would meet again, if they ever did, it wasn't like this. The more she thought about it, still leaning against the wall, she should have known this was where Blake would be.

It was the one place Faunus were guaranteed a peaceful life, away from prejudice and abuse. This place was what Blake had needed. Did her family live here? Was she living with Sun? Either way, Yang forced a small smile, watching wistfully as Blake and Sun walked away together.

She was here to deliver a package and get out. Simple.

But Blake was walking away, and all Yang could think of was the night Blake had kissed her and walked out of her life.

The selfish part of Yang, the part that  _needed_ to see Blake, to  _touch_ her again, told her to run forward and stop her from walking away again.

Her hands were digging back into the wall so hard that her left hand started to burn, trying desperately to keep her there.

Blake looked happy, genuinely, completely. Yang's heart was set to burst with how happy she was to see Blake safe and smiling. And Sun was a great guy. There wasn't a problem.

Except the dull, throbbing ache in Yang's chest.

That ache tormented her all the way back to the docks, purposely taking the long, unfamiliar path through the trees on her trip back, putting all of her effort into  _not_ bumping into the happy couple.

Twirling her keys on her index finger, she stepped onto the bridge and back onto the deck of the ship, determined to get the job over with. She missed Ruby and her dad, Zwei and her friends, all of the familiar luxuries of home that a small bed on a ship couldn’t compare to.

When she’d finally pushed Bumblebee 2.0 up the ramp and onto the deck, she slipped her sunglasses back on and took another look at the package.

After months on the job, it wasn’t a surprise to her that it had no name, just an address in scrawled black ink. It had been bashed about on the journey and it was heavy, large enough to be an annoyance to carry on a motorbike.

Yang dug in the key, turning it and revving the engine a couple times. A thin cloud of black smoke streamed behind her as she manoeuvred towards the bridge, racing onto dry land.

Bells were ringing and the sky was the colour of Blake’s eyes.

Yang swerved, narrowly missing a tree, letting out a frustrated grunt before speeding up in anger. Her left hand was gripping the handle tightly, her face flushed from the shock.

She was so stupid, letting her thoughts wander back to Blake. She was half expecting a black cat to walk out into the road ahead of her and send her flying into the undergrowth.

That  _was_ what it felt like to think of Blake.

The crowd was beginning to thin out as Yang shot out of the trees and landed on the dirt path. With how she was driving, over the speed limit and without much caution, she was glad there weren’t many in her way.

Finding the place was harder than she’d thought it would be and after a half hour driving through the streets, Yang was forced to stop and take another look at the package. In her overheated state, she must have read it wrong.

Learning her lesson, she took a much more laid back ride, checking every single wooden walled house. It didn’t help that they all looked the same.

The last one she came to, though, right at the centre of it all, was different. It towered over the rest of the buildings Yang had come across on the island. A large set of steps sat before her and it was surrounded by trees and plants, totally separate from the bunched together houses on the other side of the city.

Yang came to a stop by the porch, gazing up at the potted plants hanging from the roof. If this package was going to be delivered anywhere on the island, this  _had_ to be it.

It looked… important.

She began climbing the steps, awed by the grandeur of the place, before she heard muffled voices behind her. Frozen, suddenly worried that she was trespassing on private land, Yang clutched the package tightly under her arm and slowly turned her head. Luckily she was hidden under the shadow of the porch and whoever was approaching wouldn’t see her until they were inches apart.

“What the-? How come you never told me your dad has a kickass bike?” came Sun’s loud voice.

Yang opened her mouth, eyes wide, swinging around and nearly stumbling down the steps. She could always dive into one of the bushes by the side of the porch, or creep away up the steps and hide, somewhere, somehow.

“He doesn’t,” Blake said, apprehension in her voice. “That looks like…”

“Yeah, it looks like a kickass bike!” Sun exclaimed, taking a long look at it, prodding the seat and brushing his hands over the black and yellow paintwork.

Sun looked dangerously close to throwing his leg over and getting on it, and Yang was picky about who she let on her bike, especially after the crash. She took a few steps forward, into the light, sunglasses hiding the desperation in her eyes. “Uh… hey, guys.”

As soon as the words left her lips, Sun let out a loud shout and jumped away from the bike, hands up in surrender. “Whoa!”

“Yang?”

“Hey Blake,” she said sheepishly, moving over to lean on the side of Bumblebee 2.0.

“Finally!  _Now_ can you stop being so… Blake-y?” Sun blurted out, making vague gestures with his hands.

“Sun!” Blake hissed, locked in place a couple of feet away from Yang. “What’s going on? How did you find me? Why? H-how?”

Yang grimaced. “I wasn’t exactly _trying_ to find you.”

Blake turned away, wounded. “Oh.”

Sun paled and shuffled in close to Yang, doing his best to be discreet. “Sooo… why  _are_ you here?”

Yang, glancing at Blake, forced a grin. “Oh, y’know, just  _yanging_ around.”

Sun laughed. Too loudly to be genuine. “Good one!”

“Yeah… I’m actually here for work.”

“Oh right, sounds fun!”

Yang felt more like an outsider here than she had in the midst of the crowd earlier on. Blake and Sun kept peeking at each other, thinking she hadn’t noticed.

She was grateful for her sunglasses when she felt her eyes mist over, burning at the corners.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave this with you,” she mumbled, walking over and handing Blake the package. Her metal hand brushed Blake’s arm as she pulled away, forcing Blake to look her in the eyes for the first time.

“Yang, your ar-”

“A lot’s changed, huh?”

“More than you know,” Blake whispered, so quiet Yang barely heard. “You should come in with us.”

“I don’t think so,” Yang replied.

“I have  _a lot_ of explaining to do. I didn’t leave because I-”

“Blake, just… stop. I don’t want explanations. I’m happy you’re happy. Can’t go on living in the past.” She nodded to her prosthetic arm. “I haven’t.”

Blake’s bottom lip trembled. “I need you to know that I didn’t leave because of anything you did!”

Yang shrugged. “It’s cool. I’m over it.” Then, she hopped onto the back of the bike, feeling vulnerable under Blake’s worried gaze. “Believe it or not I have some experience with abandonment.”

Taking off again, she felt the same deep, throbbing ache in her chest, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> somebody needs to stop me from separating them all the damn time.  
> (i promise it won't last for long... or will it?)
> 
> thanks for reading! <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang attempts to go home. Attempts.

She couldn't get back to Vale quick enough.

The rushed, reckless journey back to the ship had practically winded her. Staying focused on the road had been hard enough, she was hurting so much, but the tears blurring her vision had almost made her crash on multiple occasions. It was like she was back in that hospital room, waking up to paralysing pain in her arm and a heaviness deep in her chest.

She figured maybe she was heartbroken.

Though she couldn’t deny part of it was her own fault, not letting Blake explain, running off as soon as she saw her again.

Yang wasn’t usually the type to run away. She’d always run straight in, head first, not looking back. But this time she was too wounded, in mind  _and_  spirit.

So she sat cross-legged on the deck, a spectacle for all of her fellow passengers to gawk at and whisper about.

It would be a while until the ship left for Vale and the sun was setting slowly on the horizon, colours swirling in the reflection in the water. Yang felt hot and uncomfortable and was close to taking off her robotic arm to give the gossiping Faunus kids across from her a show. She was far too irritated to sit quietly and politely ignore all of the snide comments and the pointing.

Beneath her sunglasses, her eyes were sore and gritty from the tears and every so often she’d feel them welling up again. She’d hold her breath whenever she felt the urge to cry, wary of being too loud on the crowded deck, so much so that her chest began to hurt from the strain.

A moment after she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, taking long, deep breaths to control herself, she heard raised voices from dry land. The ship was gently tossed about on the rippling waves as Yang stood up, curious.

“Miss, we can’t let just anybody wander onto the ship!” somebody shouted. “Step away from there!”

Passengers broke out into a low chatter, leaning and peering over the railing, shaking their heads so much that Yang grew desperate to see what it was they were so disapproving of. With some difficulty, she managed to force her way closer to the railing, getting shoved all the way.

What she saw was Blake and one of the crew caught in an argument that was quickly brewing Blake into the angriest Yang had ever seen her. The Faunus girl was stood with her arms crossed, determined and stubborn. The tiger Faunus talking with her looked sheepish, like he didn’t know exactly what was going on.

The sight made Yang feel like smiling and calling out to her. The other, safer and much gentler on her heart, option was to hide away in the crowd until Blake gave up and left.

Conflicted, all Yang could do was stand, dumbfounded, staring down at the display.

"I need to get on that ship," Blake said, without even a hint of the shyness she'd displayed earlier. "You either let me pass or I find another way."

Yang let out a quiet breath, bemused by this different side of Blake. She let out another louder sigh when Blake and the tiger Faunus almost collided with each other upon Blake attempting to move past him and failing. Seconds later and he'd grabbed her arm, calling out for somebody to help him escort her away.

She was trying not to show it, but Yang was certain Blake was struggling with more than just his grip. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was twisting a little in the tight grasp, eyes narrowed into slits. She'd never looked so much like a cat.

Adam's face found it's way into Yang's mind for the first time in weeks. It felt unfair to compare the innocent tiger Faunus to the monster who had taken her arm, yet the only thing Yang could think about was the disturbing image of Blake struggling beneath him.

Compelled to act, despite her aching heart, Yang swung herself forward and leaned over the railing. "I wouldn't do that buddy," she yelled, making the Faunus huddled beside her jump in unison, "her best friend's an ex-stowaway who could soon be back in business, if you know what I mean!"

The way Blake sharply turned her head to look up at her made Yang grimace. "Yang, we need to talk!"

"Okay, but we're doing that right now!"

"No, this is yelling!"

"Same thing!"

"No... they're very different," Blake deadpanned, successfully freeing herself.

"What do we need to talk about?"

"Things that  _don't_  require an audience!"

Yang took a look around at the Faunus around her, ducking her head slightly. "I'm leaving soon."

Blake shook her head. "You don't have to!"

"Yeah, I kinda do."

"Yang, please, come down here! Give me this last chance!"

"Sorry Blake but I can't," she murmured, and fell back into the midst of the rabble. She held her right hand up, staring at it for a moment before taking off her sunglasses and blinking away the foolish tears.

She heard Blake call her name another three times before most of the crowd grew uncomfortable and disbanded, muttering their disapproval. Yang swore she heard one of them mention something along the lines of "the chief's daughter" but shrugged it off as her muddled imagination. It had been quite a while since she'd cried so much in one day and she could already feel the inevitable emotional breakdown she'd have when she got home brewing up inside her.

Leaving Blake like this seemed like the right thing... for both of them. Blake had everything she deserved - the support of her parents, whatever Sun was to her, the safety of her home. Yang couldn't imagine why Blake would want her to be a part of that. Surely all she'd ever do was serve as a permanent reminder of the carnage Adam had wrought.

"Stay with me!" Blake suddenly shouted out, voice strained. " _Yang_! Do you hear me? Stay with me!"

Yang did hear, along with everybody else on deck. A lot of them froze, glancing around, still dumbfounded at Blake's persistence. Yang herself was stuck in a state of confusion, and when she finally looked up again and scanned the deck crowded with Faunus, all eyes on her, she couldn’t fight the blush on her cheeks or the bright, involuntary grin that broke out on her face.

Just like that, the tears had dried.

"Yang,  _please_!"

Yang's heart told her to immediately take up Blake's offer - which was more like an order - and dive off the ship, bury her head in the crook of Blake's neck and hold her until all the pain faded away. But, like everything she did, she tried to play it cool. Leaning over the railing, she furrowed her brows. “Huh?”

Obviously upset, Blake’s shoulders shook as she gazed up at her. “I was wrong! I need you here with me!”

Yang's smile faltered as she stared down at Blake, a cool wind carrying over from the ocean and drifting through her hair. A hundred things came into her mind, mostly about how Blake had been the one to leave  _her_ and how wrong it was for her to demand Yang stay after everything that had happened. But, seeing the longing in Blake's eyes, Yang was reminded of that night, when they had run for their lives and paid the price for it.

The hopelessness was still there in those amber eyes that Yang never seemed to be able to say no to.

Causing even more of a commotion, Yang stomped over the deck to the bridge, took a casual walk down it, all the while making a point not to look over at Blake. She was chewing her lip so much it hurt when she came to dry land again, the low hum of conversation from the ship carrying on the wind. There were still plenty of Faunus milling about the market by the docks that Yang hadn't noticed before, and she flushed a little at the prospect of an even larger audience.

With a sigh, she walked forward towards an expectant yet hesitant Blake, who was taking her own short, tentative steps closer.

Then, at the exact same time, they lunged forward into a passionate hug, practically jumping into each other's arms.

Yang had never felt something so strongly, at least not since the time before losing her arm. And even now, without the ability to feel Blake with both of her arms, she could feel her with her  _heart_. And that was more than enough.

Blake's hands were gripping the fabric of her jacket tightly and with each passing moment it felt like she was pulling Yang closer and closer still.

"Who knew you had a flair for the dramatic?" Yang said quietly next to Blake's ear.

"I said I  _didn't_  want an audience," Blake fired back, but Yang could hear the smile in her voice. "I was starting to think you were enjoying it."

"Yeah, maybe a  _teeny tiny_  bit."

"I really missed you," Blake said, hot breath hitting Yang's ear.

Yang's skin tingled wherever Blake's hands touched her. "I missed you too. A lot, actually. You kinda left me hanging there."

Blake pulled away slightly, taking a step back but not letting go completely. "Right, I have a lot of explaining to do," she muttered, taking a nervous glance over at the ship, "but I'd rather do it without the audience and with a cup of tea in my hands."

Yang laughed. "Tea? Wow, you're pretty refined, huh?"

"Let me guess; you're more of a coffee person?"

"Nah, I hate both. I prefer my drinks free of leaves and beans and filled with more alcohol!"

Blake smiled up at her. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Yang was grinning like a dork, taking in every detail of Blake's face, when she remembered a certain monkey Faunus' mysterious presence. Without thinking, she asked it aloud, mostly to herself. "So... Sun's here too?"

Blake looked guilty, wide eyed and shocked at the sudden question. The dark haired girl nodded and Yang sucked in a long breath, ready for her heart to shatter once again. "Mhm. He followed me here. Which wasn't... ideal but he's been good company. I love my parents but sometimes I just need a friend to talk to. Someone who doesn't grill me over silly things like my hair being longer or my lack of a boyfriend."

Yang raised her eyebrows. "Wait, so that means you and Sun aren't..."

Blake bristled. “I’m  _not_  dating Sun! Not in a million years!” She sighed and let her hand slide it’s way down Yang’s arm. “Why does everybody think that?”

“He’s a boy, you’re a girl, can I make it anymore obvious?” Yang sing-songed.

Blake just groaned. “That doesn’t mean anything. In fact I’ve sworn off guys after… _him_.”

Yang nodded slowly. Adam was a subject that didn't need to be brought up, so she cleared her throat and attempted to lighten the mood. “Okay, so Sun wouldn’t mind if I did… this?” Leaning down, she hovered her lips over Blake’s cheek, feeling them rapidly grow warm. “You wouldn’t mind either, though, rig-”

She didn’t have enough time to finish her sentence before Blake leaned forward and pressed her cheek against Yang’s lips in what was a completely unattractive and frankly awkward kiss. “You don’t need to ask. I didn’t.” A glimmer of mischief sparkled in Blake’s eyes as she pulled away.

Yang blinked. “Oh… so that  _wasn’t_  a dream…”

“Not unless you often dream of things like that, no.” Blake smiled. “I hoped it would soften the blow. But then I spent every night since regretting it, thinking I’d made things worse by kissing you.” Yang shook her head, making Blake’s smile grow. “Thank you for returning the favour.”

Yang's cheeks burned. "Pfft, look at us, making a big deal out of a tiny cheek kiss!" She laughed nervously. It wasn't like that was just about enough to make her melt. No way.

Blake spent a moment staring at her before she flicked her feline ears upwards and leaned forward a bit. "What time does the ship leave?"

In one swift motion, Yang slipped her phone out of her pocket and checked. "In exactly... eight minutes."

"Oh. And your bike's still on there?"

At that, Yang gasped before taking off in a sprint towards the bridge. "Blake! Wait for me!"

She waited, in the exact same spot, for five minutes while Yang carefully pushed her bike back onto land. Yang kept her eyes on Blake until she came to a stop inches in front of her.

"So, how about it?" she asked, crossing her arms and nodding to the bike.

"We're getting on?"

"Duh! I'm not leaving it here out in the open! I already lost  _one_  Bumblebee," Yang said, shaking her head. She saw Blake hesitate to speak, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Yang grimaced, regretting her harsh words. "I get it. It looks the same as the old one and it was hard getting back on it, even for me, but you have something I didn't."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Someone to hold onto," Yang said, grinning and taking Blake's hands in her own. "C'mon, I promise it'll be fun!"

"Fine," Blake said, smiling as she was pulled along by the blonde. "Just don't go  _too_  fast." Yang looked at her and wiggled her eyebrows. "Yang, I mean it!"

"Aw, fine, spoilsport."

Yang lifted her leg over the seat and shuffled as far forward as she could get, completely unable to wipe the smile off her face. Blake followed her lead, climbing on behind and pressing herself against Yang's back, wrapping her arms around her waist.

The engine roared a few times, a small cloud of smoke enveloping them before they raced off through the marketplace, catching the eye of everyone they passed.

As they drove through the quieter parts of Menagerie, Yang felt Blake crane her neck forward and lean on her shoulder, black hair tickling the bare skin of her neck. As always, she blushed but kept her eyes on the road ahead, reflecting on how much things had changed since the last time they had taken a ride together.

The coast was clear, the danger gone, and the chase seemed to finally be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> i felt like i needed to have a little bit of fluff in the midst of all the angst, so this chapter happened. can't believe i finally allowed them to be happy for five minutes!  
> anyway thank you again for reading! i love every single one of you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parents, packages and more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not much to say other than hoo boy this chapter is longer than i expected it to be.
> 
> again, a really big thank you to everyone reading this story. i'm never ever as motivated as i have been writing this. it's nice to know some people actually care. so thanks guys, i hope you like this chapter!

Yang was laughing at nothing as the both of them climbed down from the bike, the overwhelming happiness of having Blake so close was just too much to keep inside. And Yang rarely managed to keep her emotions from spilling out, whether they were good or bad.

Blake also had a spring in her step as she ascended the steps, shrouded in shadow. Yang followed after her, bouncing along.

“Before you meet my parents you need to know something,” Blake said cryptically, briefly turning to look Yang in the eyes. “My dad,” she started, hesitating, “he’s the chieftain here.”

Yang paused for a second before nodding. “Okay, cool.”

“What? You’re not surprised?”

“Not really,” she replied, shrugging. “Your house is like five times bigger than every other house on the island, I figured you were important. Y’know, other than to me.” Winking, Yang internally cringed at her stupid attempts to flirt at inappropriate times, a habit her friends had always warned her to quit.

Blake sent her a ‘that was lame’ look, before letting out a little laugh. “I’m not the important one, my dad is.”

Not giving Yang a chance to disagree, Blake pushed open the large wooden doors and strolled in. Yang had to hurry in after her before the doors swung closed, mouth open in surprise at how immaculate the place was. It put her and Ruby’s cramped apartment to shame. Stacks of old pizza boxes and piles of dirty clothes were nowhere to be seen, a foreign concept to Yang since the siblings had moved out of their family home.

Stunned, Yang kept her eyes high on the ceiling and took a long look around. The house was so large it had pillars. Pillars! Yang had never seen them before. Her gaze strayed down until she caught Blake watching her, the sides of her mouth twitching into a small smile.

They both turned, hearing muffled voices from down the spacious hall and making their way towards them.

“Blake! I know it was super dumb but I bet your dad I could beat him at an arm wrestle and I’m _pretty_ sure he broke my arm!” Sun cried out as soon as they were in sight. “Does it look broken to you? Be honest.” He feebly held up his limp arm, pouting.

Blake, unimpressed, crossed her arms. “You’re right. It was dumb.”

“I’m bandaging his war wounds,” came an amused voice from beside him. As Yang moved closer, she realised it was Blake’s mom. They had too many similarities for her not to be. The black hair, the cat ears, the same piercing eyes.

“Oh, hey, Yang!” Sun piped up. “You came back!”

“So this is the famous Yang,” Kali announced, standing up. “Let me take a look at you!” As uncomfortable as she felt, Yang put on a smile, shifting her eyes towards Blake as Kali moved towards her. “When Blake first came home, her father and I were worried sick. She hardly talked to us for a week until she finally let it slip, about you and what you did for her. You were the first thing she talked about.” Kali placed her hands on Yang’s arms. “Sometimes I even heard her mumble your name in her sleep!”

“Mom!”

Kali smiled. “Well, it’s true, sweetheart.”

Yang laughed nervously. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs Belladonna.”

“Blake, you never mentioned she was as polite as she is brave! Really, you don’t have to be so formal, Yang. Feel free to call me Kali.”

Yang nodded, stomach churning over. Meeting new people was something she loved. But when it was the parents of the girl you maybe sort of really liked, then it was _complicated_ and every single little move you made had to give a good impression. She hadn’t even met Blake’s dad yet, the terrifying man who had almost broken Sun’s arm in an arm wrestle and was probably the size of a tank.

She wished she had something clever to say. Anything to break the ice. “That sounds purr-fect, Mrs Bella- Kali!”

That wasn’t exactly what she’d been going for and it wasn’t clever, or even funny, she had to admit, but Kali’s eyes narrowed and she chuckled, loudly. “I like her.” Sun, who had almost been forgotten about, jumped to his feet. “I’m glad you’re keeping your options open, Blake.”

“Mom!”

“I never would have guessed you would have such a thing for blon-”

“Okay, that’s enough! Yang is really tired from the journey. Aren’t you, Yang?” Blake pressed, grabbing Yang’s hand.

“Oh, but I was just about to put on some tea.”

“We can have tea later, mom,” Blake said, softening her expression.

“Hey, sweet paintjob!” Sun interrupted, drawing attention to Yang’s arm. Blake’s grip tightened. “When did you get that?”

Yang lifted her prosthetic arm. “This thing? A couple months ago.” She flexed the fingers into a fist and punched the air. “Still not used to it.”

“It’s badass!” Sun stared at it, taking a step forward as if he was in a trance.

“Yang,” Kali interjected after sharing a look with Blake. “Make sure you’re well rested in time for dinner.” She beamed and placed a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “I intend to prepare the biggest banquet this house has ever seen to thank you for everything you’ve done. I want to know _every_  little thing about you!”

Smiling so hard her cheeks ached, Yang nodded. “Sure!”

“Blake, you show Yang to the guest room,” Kali said, grabbing Sun’s arm before he could follow after them, “and _you’re_ going to help me chop vegetables.”

The guest bedroom was bigger than Yang’s bedroom at home, and as soon as she saw the double bed, neatly made with fresh sheets, she wanted to dive right onto it.

“Sorry about my mom,” Blake muttered, sliding the door closed slowly and leaning back into it.

“Sorry about what? She’s really nice, and-”

“Embarrassing.”

“Whose parents _aren’t_? I’m just happy she didn’t send me packing because I’m a human,” Yang said with a laugh.

Blake looked less amused. “Is this okay?”

“Are you kidding? It’s better than okay.” Yang whistled at the view from the window.

“I meant about you staying.”

“Oh, right.”

“I didn’t force you into it? I got carried away out there and embarrassed us both.”

“If I couldn’t handle embarrassment I’d still be laying in the hospital hiding from the world,” Yang said, serious. “Blake, I wouldn’t have stayed if I didn’t want to.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

She couldn’t meet Yang’s eyes. “I’m still in disbelief that you’d forgive me for all of this.”

“Right, and _I’m_ still in disbelief that you’re still hung up on all of that.”

Blake held her hand up to hide her face. “Were you angry... when I left?”

“Yeah, of course I was. But I was mainly confused. And, uh, sad.” Shoulders slumped, she sunk down to sit on the bed. “Having to deal with the loss of my arm _and_ losing you, that kicked my butt.”

“I left to lead him away.”

“Huh?”

“I left to lead him away from you. If I cut all ties to you, you’d be safer.” She frowned. “I know Adam, Yang. I was with him for four years, I saw the ins and outs of everything he did. I saw _how_ he did the things he did, I saw _why_ he did them. He’ll come after me. It’s only a matter of time. I wanted - _needed_ \- you to stay away. But I knew you wouldn’t, even from those few days we’d known each other, I knew you wouldn’t keep your distance, you’re too good. So I was the one who would stay away. That was... easier.”

Yang clenched her jaw. “What was stopping him from coming after me? I was where I’d always been, in the hospital. I was a sitting duck! He could’ve found me easily!”

“He wouldn’t hurt you again unless I was there to watch.” Feline ears flattened down. “So I wasn’t.”

Yang breathed in and watched Blake sit beside her. She looked cautious, expecting Yang to blow up. But Yang wasn’t angry, she hadn’t been for a long time. “Why did you want me to stay? Isn’t that, I dunno, the complete opposite of what I should be doing? Adam’s still out there, right? We’re all in danger here.”

“You’re right,” Blake admitted. “I’m putting everyone I love in danger by staying here.” Shaking hands rested on her knees. “The only way I’ll ever be free is if he kills me.”

Horrified, Yang shook her head more times than she could count. “What the hell are you saying? There’s no way it’ll come to that!”

“Yang,” Blake pleaded. “It _will_ come to that. That’s how all of this will end.”

Eyes wide, Yang leaned over and took Blake’s hand. “I told you I’d protect you, remember? In the hospital, that night when we talked for hours until I fell asleep? I said I’d protect you but you went somewhere where I couldn’t.” Yang’s body felt aflame. “I don’t think I should be here, but I’m staying. Until this is over, I’m staying. If you’re gonna give up, I don’t care, I’ll still fight for you!”

“I’m not giving up,” Blake simply said. “I’m taking him down with me.”

They sat in a heavy silence after that, Blake half leaning on Yang’s left side, still holding hands, clumsy fingers intertwined. Yang’s chest felt tight and her mind was reeling but the worst part was how calm Blake was in comparison. “It’s crazy. I saw you earlier today and you looked happy. I thought you were happy.”

“You saw me?”

“With Sun at the market.”

“Oh.”

“I never thought - I never imagined - you felt like _that_.”

“I have a lot of practice with hiding my emotions,” Blake mumbled and Yang decided to leave it at that, still shocked nonetheless. “Those first couple of times I saw you, you seemed like the happiest girl on the planet.” Blake tilted her head up and chuckled when Yang pulled a face. “I did!”

“Trust me, inside I was a hot mess!”

“What? Why?” Blake sounded offended and it only made Yang laugh more.

“Because of you. Get with the program.”

“Right. I made a mess of your life,” Blake replied, voice quiet.

“I didn’t mean like that!” Yang reassured her. “I mean… because you made me nervous and I turn into a huge dork when you do that!”

Blake’s expression immediately changed, and again, Yang felt like the mouse to her cat. “Like right now?”

“Very funny!” Yang said through a laugh, grabbing Blake’s shoulders and hauling her backwards until they were both laying on the bed. Rolling over, Yang propped herself up with her elbows and looked down at Blake, who was a red-faced, messy-haired disaster. “Did you really mean it?”

“That you’re a dork?” Blake replied, smirking. “Definitely.”

Unusually serious, Yang shook her head. “About Adam. About… ending it.”

Blake caught on and closed her eyes. “You asked why I wanted you to stay.” Yang nodded, eyes trailing over Blake’s face. “It’s selfish but I wanted more of a chance to say goodbye. Properly, this time.”

“You’re… leaving again?”

“When I left the hospital, when I tried to disappear… Sun followed me and my plan was ruined. How could I protect the people I care about if one of them was following me wherever I went? I tried to stop him, I warned him. But he’s just as stubborn as you.” With a grimace, she turned to face Yang. “I came back here to try and convince Sun to stay. He’d be able to find work here and he’d be safe. I’ve been planning to leave for weeks. The longer I wait the closer Adam gets. I can feel it, Yang. I can’t let my parents get involved too.”

“But where are you going?”

“Somewhere far away from here.” Blake sighed. “I won’t be coming back.”

Stunned, Yang felt completely drained of any and all happiness she’d felt when Blake had hugged her tight and said all of the things that had made her heart skip. She felt empty again, straying off into a daydream, scrambling for any rational thoughts that could possibly change Blake’s mind. “This plan sucks.”

“Yang?”

“You probably think it’s brave or something but it’s not going to work,” Yang said. “Some things you can’t do alone.”

“Doing it alone is the only option, I ca-”

“No, Blake. It’s the only option you’re prepared to see.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Yeah, maybe I don’t know the guy like you do, but I’ve seen what he’s capable of.” She lifted her right arm. “A baseball bat to the head couldn’t keep him down! Jeez, being in a car crash only seemed to make him stronger! And he has a gang on his side full of crazy gun slinging creeps! How are you gonna take them down alone?”

“I don’t want to take them all down. Just him.”

“He’s too strong. He’s invincible, Blake.”

Blake frowned. “Then what do you suggest I do? If I don’t do _something_ , this will go on forever and more people will get hurt - killed!”

“We call my uncle.”

“Yang, this isn’t the time for family catch-ups.”

“No, I’m serious. My uncle’s with the police. He spent months on the case, searching for Adam. And you, actually.”

“And did he find him?” Blake asked accusingly.

“Well… no.”

“Yang, I appreciate you trying to figure this out and find another way but I’ve made up my mind. I’ll lure him out of hiding and end this for good. If this whole thing has taught me anything it’s that I may be Adam’s only weakness. He can’t leave me alone, that has to mean something.”

“Yep, it means you’re in danger,” Yang muttered, staring out of the window, wracking her brain. “Wait, that’s it! You can still go through with half of this plan of yours and lure him to you - hear me out! I call my uncle and he brings back up, armed police officers, the whole shabang! Even Adam can’t escape that, right? Right?”

Blake stayed silent for a moment, squeezing Yang’s hand tightly. “Would you really be able to get your uncle to do something like that?”

“Oh, yeah, of course. Ruby and I, we’re like the kids he never had, the apple of his eye, all that stuff. I’m pretty sure he’d do anything for us.” Yang tapped her chin. “And it kinda seems like he has some weird personal grudge against Adam. He’s desperate to catch him.”

Blake kept her head down. “I don’t know.”

“It’s worth a shot.” In an uncertain, anxious move, Yang reached over with her prosthetic arm and placed her hand on Blake’s thigh. Her eyes quickly flicked up to check on Blake’s reaction, nervous for any sign of disgust or embarrassment. Even touching herself with the cold metal hand felt strange. “It’s better than losing you again,” she managed to choke out.

To her surprise, Blake shifted and placed her own hand on top of Yang’s metal one. “I trust you.”

Those words leaving Blake’s lips ran a shiver down Yang’s spine. The room all of a sudden felt warmer, the air thicker, clinging to her. Blake’s cheeks were flushed red and the hair framing her face was slightly curled from the heat. Yang, in a moment of stupidity and nothing more than a compulsive need to show Blake how much she’d missed her, leaned forward ever so slowly.

If it were a movie she was sure there would be some slow, sappy love song playing in the background and the thought of it almost made her laugh in Blake’s face.

Instead, the door slowly slid open and forced them apart, turning the scene into more of a comedy than a romance.

Yang felt like bursting into tears of embarrassment as Kali stood in the doorway, mouth wide open, the tray of tea she was holding looking dangerously close to slipping out of her hands. But before Yang had the chance to make excuses, the Faunus woman smiled awkwardly. “Oh, well, would you look at that-”

“Mom! You’re supposed to knock!”

“I’m sorry dear, I thought Yang would be resting.”

It was at that moment Yang glanced down and noticed how far up Blake’s thigh her hand was resting and swiped it away, red faced. “I am. I was!”

Kali smiled and stepped over to the bed. “I bought tea.”

“Oh, thanks,” Yang murmured.

“Thanks, mom.”

“I should get back before Sun sets fire to my kitchen,” Kali joked, moving back to the door. Before leaving, she paused and whispered, “Next time put a sock on the door.”

As soon as she was gone, Yang slumped forward and leaned her head on Blake’s shoulder, hair covering her face. “Oh my god, how many times am I gonna screw this up?”

* * *

 

Apparently Yang hadn’t screwed up enough, because by the time Kali called on them for dinner, everything was forgotten.

She was more than warm and friendly, showing Yang to her seat and serving her before everyone else. She even settled down next to her, giving her the utmost attention, leaning on her hands and listening intently to everything Yang had to say. Which admittedly wasn’t much. She was way too hungry.

It also hadn’t gone unnoticed that Blake’s dad was missing, especially by Sun, so it seemed. He couldn't go two minutes without stealing glances at the doorway.

Sun wasn’t the only one who was curious - or nervous - Yang couldn’t tell from the happy-go-lucky monkey Faunus’ face. She herself was hoping to get their first meeting over with as soon as possible. She imagined Blake’s dad would be less understanding than her mom.

Blake and Kali spent the rest of the meal chatting, involving Yang at every chance they got. Sometimes Yang simply watched them, listening. Blake had the same smile on her face from earlier, the one that Yang had learnt was a mask.

Blake was good at hiding behind it.

She was laughing and talking freely with her mom, a world away from the defensive, stubborn Blake from their talk earlier.

During an awkward moment of Sun stumbling over his words and inadvertently saying the wrong thing, loud footsteps bounced off the walls of the hall and in stepped a large, muscular, bearded man, taking a seat with a groan.

“Darn council meetings,” he grumbled, probably louder than he intended. “Sorry I’m late.” He placed a large hand on Kali’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze before eventually noticing Yang. “Who’s this?” In a delayed response, he leaned forward a little to get a closer look at her.

“Dad, this is Yang. Yang, dad,” Blake introduced.

“Hm,” he mused, slowly holding out his hand. “The girl who saved my daughter’s life, isn’t that right?”

Yang gulped, hoping nobody heard. “Uh, yes, sir…”

Ghira nodded, expression unchanged. He was still glaring at her a few seconds later, so much so that Yang froze, too intimidated to reach out and shake his waiting hand. When he grunted and shifted his eyes down, she snapped out of her trance and thoughtlessly held out her right, metal hand.

She was almost yanked across the table when Ghira shook her hand roughly, not letting her go for a solid twenty seconds. Blake, Kali and Sun looked on, not knowing whether to smile or frown. Ghira finally loosened his grip, relief washing over Yang as soon as he did. For a second she’d thought he would pry the arm from her stump.

That had happened countless times, almost always ending with Ruby panicking and Yang insisting that it was ‘armless’. Her little sis never found it as funny as she did.

But if that happened with the huge, frankly scary man in front of her, Yang would have been mortified and hightailed it out of there on Bumblebee 2.0 on a literal beeline back to the docks.

Though, what Ghira did next wasn’t so scary. With a gruff laugh, he slowly pulled his hand away. “Don’t look so nervous. I’m a gentle giant, just ask Blake.” With that, he leaned over and planted a kiss on the top of Blake’s head.

Yang flushed and nodded, and after a few minutes, she and Ghira were talking as if they were good friends. It hadn’t been a great start, since he’d interrogated her about her relationship with Blake and what exactly she was doing in Menagerie. But, unlike the other Faunus she had encountered, Ghira, despite being the chief, was greatly accepting. Yang answered his questions simply, throwing in a joke here and there that sent him off into a booming laugh that Kali rolled her eyes at, nodding towards Blake to keep her plate from tumbling off the table.

Ghira was also the one to suggest Blake walk Yang back to the guest room when they were finished with dinner. “Yang,” he called after them, voice low. “Stay as long as you want. It’s nice to see my little girl smiling again.”

Blake immediately turned a deep red and pulled Yang down the hall.

They were greeted with darkness when they arrived back to the guest room, the only light was supplied by the small, shining pinpricks in the distance that Yang presumed were night lamps. The trees outside rustled in the gentle breeze, breaking the silence and bringing Yang’s attention back to Blake. She was barely visible in the darkness, and she hadn’t said a word since dinner.

“Um, I kinda wanna test the balcony out,” Yang said awkwardly. “Wanna come with?”

“Sure,” came Blake’s quiet voice from the shadows.

Yang laughed. “We should turn the light on first. Wherever that is…” Stepping forward, she bumped into something and swore under her breath, just as light flooded the room, revealing Blake stood by the door, hand on the light switch. “ _Okay_ , there it is.” Yang pouted and rubbed her knee incessantly.

There was a yellow glow lighting up the balcony, and a warmth that Yang only ever felt when she was with Blake. She flopped herself down on the bench, stretching out her arms and letting out a contented groan. Blake sat down next to her, silently crossing her arms.

The low hum of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves filled the silence as they both sat there, taking in the view.

“Are you feeling okay?” Blake asked out of the blue.

“Yeah, great!” Yang frowned. “Why?”

Blake turned to her. “I was worried my dad hurt you.”

“Oh, with his superhuman strength? Yeah, that was… something.” Yang chuckled before shrugging. “I was worried too. This thing has a mind of it’s own. Ruby always freaks out when it comes off. One time it literally flew off when I was working out. There’s still a dent in the wall and everything!”

Yang stopped laughing and took a sideways glance at Blake. She looked absolutely horrified. “That happens a lot?”

“No! Well, kind of. That was back when I first got it fitted. It took a while to get it tight enough. Right now it’s fine, otherwise your dad would’ve pulled it off.” Yang winced at Blake’s reaction. “You should see your face!”

“I don’t know how you can joke about it.”

“It’s better than moping,” Yang said. “Sometimes joking was the only thing that got me through.” Blake didn’t say anything after that, but she kept her eyes on Yang, or more specifically her arm. Yang took her stare as a question, and decided to answer. “A friend of my uncle’s funded it,” Yang explained, reaching up into the night sky and flexing the hand. “Must’ve cost an arm and a leg to make.”

Blake’s mouth twisted. “Joking again?”

“I’ve gotta hand it to you, Blake,” Yang said proudly, grinning.

“Are you going to finish that joke, or…?”

“Nope!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Blake whispered, leaning over and taking a hold of Yang’s right arm, lowering it into her grasp. “You don’t mind me touching it like this?”

“Psh, no, I like it.” Yang grinned. “Makes it feel more… normal.”

Blake examined the arm closely, brushing her fingers over the paintwork. “You did this yourself?”

“Yep, couldn’t lose my arm _and_ my sense of style.”

Blake stiffened slightly. “How does it feel?”

“The arm? Good. Sometimes it gets heavy if I have it on for a long time.” Yang looked down at it, eyes unfocused. “But I guess I miss being able to _feel_.”

Blake kept her eyes down. “I-”

“Blake, it’s okay. When we hugged earlier, that was the closest I’ve gotten to forgetting about it being there.” With a laugh, Yang knocked on the arm with her left fist. “So thanks.”

“We can hug some more,” Blake said, slowly letting go of Yang’s arm. “If you’d like.”

“I’d love that,” Yang replied, shuffling closer in just as Blake pounced on her and wrapped her up in a hug. “Whoa!”

Blake ended up practically straddling Yang, arms draped over her shoulders. “Cat got your tongue?” she teased, leaning further in and placing her head on Yang’s shoulder.

Feeling at least twenty degrees warmer, Yang raised her eyebrows, gently trailing her hands down Blake’s back. “Uh…”

“Let’s stay like this for a little while.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Your heart’s pounding.”

“Obviously!”

“It’s loud.”

A cat did have her tongue, so Yang said nothing, still blushing. Eventually she moved her hands further up, running one of her hands through Blake’s hair until she accidentally brushed over one of Blake’s feline ears. It immediately perked up, making Yang smirk.

The next few times she purposely brushed her fingers over it, Blake pressed herself closer. It quickly became a game, with Yang winning, until Blake went limp against her and purred into her neck.

“Blake?!”

“Hmm?” she mumbled lazily.

“Did you just…”

“Yes,” Blake hissed. “ _Don’t laugh_ .” Yang tried not to, but Blake must have noticed. “ _Please_ , just ignore i-”

Yang softly stroked both ears. “What was that?”

Blake couldn’t keep it in and purred once again, a shiver running down her spine. “Yang…”

“Who’s the loud one now?” Yang teased, stroking Blake’s ears another four times, rejoicing at the cute noises she was able to draw out.

An hour passed in a flash, and a flushed Blake yawned and suggested they go to bed. Slightly disappointed, Yang agreed and they returned to the guest room, sliding the balcony door closed.

“Hey, Blake?”

“Yes?”

“What was in that package?” Yang didn’t know why she was asking. It wasn’t like she really cared. But Blake had moved closer to the door and she couldn’t let her leave just yet.

“I don’t know. I gave it to Sun before I ran after you.”

“Sun?” Yang cringed. Sun didn’t seem like the most reliable person to hand an important package to.

Blake bit her lip. “Mhm...” Then, without another word, she bolted out of the room, Yang running after her.

Sun was lying on the couch, feet propped up, humming a song and reading a magazine, which he swiftly hid behind his back when he saw them approach, scrambling upright. “Hey guys! Fancy seeing… you… here? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“This is how I always look at you,” Blake said, glaring. “Where’s the package?”

“Oh right, that square thing?” he asked, making a square with his fingers. “I dunno. I think I put it on the table. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Probably.”

Rolling her eyes, Blake nodded at Yang to follow her through to the kitchen, where lo and behold, they spotted the beat up package sitting on the counter.

Yang raised an eyebrow. “Soooo, what do you think it is?”

“I’m not opening it,” Blake insisted.

“What? Why not? I came all this way to deliver it to you!” Yang cried, pouting.

“It can’t be for me. It must be for my dad. I told you, he’s the important one.” Blake sighed. “Besides, nobody knows I’m here.” The clock ticked on the wall behind them. “Unless…” She stared at Yang for a moment before ripping the layers of paper straight off. Inside were two books. They didn’t look new, the spines were too bent and one of the covers was slightly faded.

“Blake?”

White as a sheet, Blake threw the books across the counter, nostrils flaring. She tore herself away from Yang and strode over to the table, making a point to look away. “He used you.”

“What?”

“He knew you were going to be delivering the package… He… he’s been watching you.” Blake slammed her fist down on the table. “He’s known where I am this whole time!”

“Okay, wait, Blake-”

“How could I be so _stupid_? He’s been spying on both of us, Yang.” Breathing heavily, Blake closed her eyes. “He wanted us both in the same place.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welllll. this chapter was a roller coaster to write. hope you like it guys!

Yang contemplated whether she'd even slept at all.

Judging by the dark circles under her eyes and the grim smile she received from Kali the moment she stepped into the kitchen, however much she  _had_  slept hadn't been enough.

"Oh my, Yang," Kali greeted. "You look like you could use a coffee with three sugars stat."

Normally she would've refused. Coffee wasn't her thing, but she could do with a boost of  _something_. "Thanks."

"Rough night?" Kali asked, looking over her shoulder as she prepared breakfast.

"I guess you could say that."

Kali put down the cup she was holding. "It was the mattress, wasn't it? I've been telling Ghira for weeks, it's just not practical to have such a lumpy bed in the guest room."

"No! No way. The bed was great!"

"Oh no. You didn't hear Ghira's snoring from down the hall, did you?"

"I didn't hear anything," Yang said, forcing a smile. "I was just worried about Blake. Is she back yet?"

"I haven't seen her," Kali said. "I'm sure she'll come running back once I open up the tuna."

Yang wrinkled her nose at the idea of tuna for breakfast, making sure to turn her head so Kali didn't see. "Right. She's a cat Faunus," she reminded herself.

Kali laughed. "It's a little hard, isn't it? For humans to understand us."

"I guess." Yang shrugged. "Most humans don't even try to understand."

"That sounds like something Blake would say."

"Hey, Mrs B, something smells good!" Sun called, barrelling through the door and diving into the chair beside Yang. "And I'm not talking about myself!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Morning sunshine."

"Morning!" Sun replied, taking after his namesake and beaming.

"Have you seen Blake?"

Sun took a sip of orange juice, shrugging. "Nope! Not since last night when she was giving me the death glare. What was up with that?"

"If you have to ask, you probably deserved it," Kali teased, handing Yang a cup of coffee.

"Jeez!" Sun cried and slumped back in his chair. "What did I do?"

"By the way, Yang, could you please give these back to Blake when you see her?" Kali slid the books from the night before across the table.

Yang hesitated. "Oh... uh, yeah, sure." She could try but she had a feeling the books would be flung across the room again the second Blake saw them.

Ten minutes into breakfast and Yang was falling asleep into the cereal bowl Kali had put in front of her. In her sleep deprived state, she could hear Sun's muffled voice and the ticking of a clock. Then, without warning, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and jolted upright, eyes wide in panic.

"Y'know, no one here will judge you if you go to bed at nine o'clock in the morning," Kali said.

"I'm... good..." Yang replied, yawning between each word.

Kali squeezed her shoulders gently. "Go on. Before you get your beautiful hair soaked in milk." A blush warmed her cheeks but she couldn't refuse. Kali sent her a small wink before she left. "I'll wake you when Blake comes home."

Books under her arm, Yang stumbled down the hall, the lack of sleep finally catching up to her. She was walking by the living room when something caught her eye.

Something black, curled up into a fetal position on the couch.

Almost unconsciously, Yang exhaled a deep sigh and leaned her shoulder against the door frame.

The night before, when she'd been swept up in Blake's flighty nature, she had found herself doubting the Faunus girl would even return home. It had hit Yang, hard and fast, that she still wasn't over Blake leaving the first time. It wasn't something she wanted to get used to, but when she'd been laying awake, it dawned on her that Blake wouldn't stop running until she knew Adam had been stopped.

And Yang vowed to herself that she would be the one to do it if Blake couldn't.

The hint of a smile on her face, she looked down at what she was wearing. The gross, sweaty tank top she'd been wearing underneath her jacket for two days hanging on her shoulders wasn't what she was looking for.

She stepped into the room, silently sliding across the wooden floor, and proceeded to snoop around, looking for a blanket. Or a jacket, a hoodie, a  _shirt_. Something to cover Blake's sleeping form. It wasn't exactly cold, this  _was_  Menagerie, but Yang couldn't let her lay there without  _something_  to cover her.

Maybe it was the leftover instincts of the things she used to do for Ruby when she was a kid. She was somewhat out of practice. Ruby had grown up, of course, there wasn't much left of the baby sister who would follow Yang around everywhere, tugging on her arm, tripping over herself to be swept up in a giant bear hug.

That didn't matter much to Yang. Even now, she'd always find herself wanting to wrap Ruby up in a tight hug or tickle her feet sometimes. That kind of love would never fade.

Neither would the love Yang had for everyone else in her life - including Blake.

It wasn't her fault that she still hadn't had the time to figure out what Blake really meant to her. That, she'd decided, could be left until they could stop fearing for their lives. Until then she was content with feeling that uncomfortable - in a  _good_  way - fluttering in the pit of her stomach every time Blake looked her way, spending most of her time pondering how something as simple as being with Blake made her forget about how Blake's crazy ex-boyfriend had been conspiring to draw them both together again only to tear them apart.

Maybe literally.

It sounded like something out of the badly written, badly acted soap operas she'd caught her dad watching late at night, and somewhere along the way it had become her life.

Managing to keep her balance and  _not_  wake Blake up by falling right on top of her, Yang stretched across and cautiously pulled a sweater off of a pile of washing Kali had left on the coffee table.

Yang held it up and tilted her head to the side. "Eh, better than nothing," she whispered to herself. Gently, she laid it over Blake, admiring how her feline ears fluttered at even the quietest of sounds. Yang was forced to slap a hand over her mouth before she squealed at the sight, and quickly decided she needed to leave before she ended up waking her.

For the rest of the morning, Blake slept, Sun lounged around doing nothing and Yang made plans.

"C'mon, get up," she urged, jumping up from her seat on the porch and doing some elaborate stretches in the sun. They'd been sat outside for an hour, soaking up the sun, or so Sun had put it. It had taken a lot for Yang to restrain herself from making a pun.

He widened his eyes. "Wha-? But you promised me a lazy day! You never said doing stuff was involved!"

"Seriously? Aren't you bored?" When Sun shrugged, Yang pouted. "I need your help." He looked hesitant, kicking a rock across the ground. "Ugh. We can take my bike."

"Say no more, say no more!" Sun hollered, rubbing his hands together. "So what're we doing?"

"Shopping spree!" Yang dug into her pockets, miserably turning up less money than she thought she had. "On a budget."

Sun looked unimpressed. "Okay, cool. I'm just here for the bike."

As it turned out, riding with Sun was close to unbearable when compared with Blake. He wouldn't keep quiet, making Yang swerve on purpose just to shut him up. Even when he'd ask a question, drowned out by the engine and the rushing wind, he'd ask it another three times, each time progressively louder and more obnoxious.

Though his constant whooping was annoying, Yang still couldn't bring herself to tell him that the only reason she wanted him with her was to ward off the judgemental looks from the Faunus in town.

They pulled up into the hustle and bustle in a cloud of smoke, Sun giddy with excitement, Yang less so. Insisting that she needed a tour, Sun showed her around, struggling a little himself considering he hadn't been staying in Menagerie long either. Still, Yang humoured him and teased him a little whenever he lost his bearings.

He gave up fairly quickly, giving Yang the chance to seek out exactly what it was she wanted and take a speedy drive back to the Belladonna residence, keeping her fingers crossed that Blake hadn't woken up yet.

Yang spent the next hour busy in the sun, with another Sun watching her every move. "Whatcha think?" Yang eventually asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead and nodding to her handiwork.

Sun waved his tail back and forth, flashed a smile and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. "She's gonna love it!"

Well, Yang sure hoped she would.

It was almost noon by the time Blake woke up, startling Yang as she came in from outside, almost dropping what she was holding. Blake let out a quiet moan, stretching her arms above her head and mimicking a cat perfectly. Nose twitching, she looked down at the sweater Yang had covered her with earlier, quizzically giving it a once over.

Yang, who still hadn't been noticed, abruptly tossed the black helmet, complete with painted on cat ears, towards Blake. “Think fast!”

Blake caught it perfectly in both hands, curiously turning it over. “Yang? What is this?”

“A helmet, silly!"

“I know that,” Blake retorted, rolling her eyes. “Why?”

“I spent the entire morning painting on those kitty ears and all you’re gonna give me back is ‘why’? Wow, Blake, that hurts!” Yang clutched at her heart, making her best ugly cry face.

“You did?" A coy smile found it's way onto Blake's face, her fingers lingering over the painted on cat ears. "Well, it  _is_  cute…”

“Yay!”

“I still don’t understand why I need it," Blake deadpanned, ruining the moment.

“I’m taking you for a ride,” Yang said, running a hand through her hair out of nervousness. “We need to talk.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “And you think the best place to do that is on the back of a motorcycle?”

“Why not?” Yang asked. “You know me, I live life in the fast lane!”

Blake gave in and smirked. “I'll bite. Where are you taking me?”

Yang fiddled with her keys, leaning up against the bike, patiently waiting for Blake to come out. Apparently she needed to change, even after Yang had assured her that she looked fine. Well, more than fine. But Yang could barely get the words out, and if she were being honest, to her, Blake always looked more than fine.

Her mind continued to muddle itself up like that until Blake emerged, calmly walking down the steps, helmet under her arm. The black crop top she was wearing showed off a little of her stomach and the black jeans that were ripped in all the right places made Yang avert her eyes.

"Don't you have one?"

"No! I mean, what?" Yang winced and crossed her arms awkwardly.

"A helmet."

"Oh, no. I left mine at home."

Blake frowned. "On purpose?"

"Psh, so I'm a rebel. Who cares?"

"Take it," Blake said, roughly passing the helmet to Yang.

Yang caught it with both hands and pushed it back towards Blake. "I bought it for you."

"You need it more than me."

"I'll be fine," Yang said, chuckling. "Plus, I wanna see what you look like in it. I mean, it's black, so it fits your whole emo... thing."

" _Emo thing_?" Blake narrowed her eyes and laughed. "Should I be offended?"

Yang stuck her tongue out and slowly pulled the helmet out of Blake's hands. "Step forward a little." Blake did, and Yang slipped the helmet on carefully, grinning at her through the little window. Then, she took a few steps back, standing with her hands on her hips, grinning. "You look hot!"

Blake blinked. "It's actually pretty airy in here," she said, voice muffled.

Yang deflated. "I meant... actually, never mind. Let's go!"

Comfort was all she felt when Blake climbed on behind her again, arms tight around her waist, body pressed close. Somewhere along the way, all of the horrific, disturbing memories from the crash that had plagued Yang every time she rode had waned away into the feeling of freedom that had made her want a motorcycle in the first place. Having Blake ride with her only heightened that, and as they sped off, Yang felt like she could let go and fly.

It was midday, sweltering, and Yang would have broken out into a sweat if it wasn't for the wind whipping at her face. Blake's grip had loosened slightly, and Yang had taken that as a sign that she was relaxing. Slowing, they passed through the busy marketplace, through the docks and along a quiet beach.

Here, the air was warmer, the sun brighter, the waves louder. There were thick trees bordering the beach, and rocks sticking up out of the water and scattered across the pale sand. The best part, though, was that it was completely abandoned, save for a few Faunus milling about by the edge of the ocean.

Yang pulled up next to a palm tree, twisting around to look at Blake. "'Kay, we're here."

"The beach?" Blake said, getting down and pulling off her helmet. Yang hopped from the seat, failing to hold in a laugh. "What?"

"Your hair," Yang spluttered. "It looks all fluffy!"

Blake widened her eyes. "Great." She then tried to smooth down her bangs, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Does it look bad?"

"Um, let me think," Yang replied, tapping her chin. "No."

"Yang."

"What? It's the truth. It's literally impossible for you to look bad."

"Lies."

"Truth!" Yang smiled and tentatively held out her hand. "C'mon."

They walked hand in hand across the beach, Yang cracking jokes that unfortunately weren't enough to distract Blake, who kept looking past her and into the trees behind them. Yang noticed that the hand she was holding was shaking, so she'd squeeze it every so often, smiling over at Blake even when she wasn't looking.

The constant unsaid interruptions nagged at Yang for a few minutes before she suggested they both head further onto the beach and take a sit down. Blake agreed, albeit gingerly.

Yang plopped herself down onto the sand, weighing Blake down with her. "So what do you think? Gotta work on my tan?" she asked, nudging Blake as she sank down beside her.

Biting her lip, Blake just nodded. "Mhm."

"What's wrong?" Yang mumbled, worrying more by the second.

"What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, you know. Stuff." Yang cringed. "Like... who's your favourite wrestler or if you really like tuna for breakfast?"

Blake huffed. "Yang, why did you really bring me out here?"

She had to give in. "Okay, you got me. I wanted to help take your mind off all the craziness that's been going down. And... now you know my plan, so it's kinda ruined." She turned to Blake and was greeted by the back of her head. She was looking behind them  _again_. "I thought I was helping."

"Did you hear that?" Yang froze, focusing her attention on the trees. There was some rustling that could easily be attributed to small animals running around in the undergrowth, but Blake adamantly kept silent, narrowing her eyes in concentration. "There it was again."

"I don't hear anything," Yang whispered. All she could hear was the sound of the tide coming in and going out. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Blake's cat ears moving. "Oh yeah, you have like... superhuman hearing compared to me." Yang turned her head and listened closely. "Nope. Still nothing."

Unlike Yang, Blake showed no sign of giving up. "We should go back."

By that point, Yang was laying down on the warm sand, eyes closed. "Relax, Blakey."

That seemed to catch her attention. "Blakey?"

"Yeah, I just thought it up while you were ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you, I'm keeping a look out."

"For what?" Yang asked, opening one eye.

"For  _anything_!"

"Blake, look around. We're safe here."

"Did you forget about last night? About the package?" Blake asked, angry. "We're in danger, you said so yourself!"

Yang sat up, leaning on her elbows. "Yeah, but do you really think Adam's gonna hide in the trees and spy on us? He seems more like the shoot 'em up kinda guy, not some stalker who watches you from far away."

"I've seen him be both kinds," Blake said, shaking her head. "He's unpredictable, above all else."

For whatever reason, Yang didn't feel scared anymore. "Then stop trying to predict what he's gonna do."

"What?"

"If he's  _so_  unpredictable, then what's the point?" They both looked away from each other. "I'm ready for him."

"No, you're not," Blake whispered.

In spite of her own instincts, Yang sighed and placed her hand on Blake's thigh. "I trust you, and if you don't think it's safe here, we'll go back."

Blake's hand found Yang's. "Thank you. For everything." With a nod, Yang tried to pull away and stand, but Blake held her still. "Including the helmet."

Yang laughed. "It was no big deal."

The drive back was relaxed, weaving through clusters of houses, taking the long way through the market. It seemed like Blake lost her stiffness whenever they were riding together, like she was letting her worries fly away on the wind. Yang felt the same. Driving had been her way to self medicate during the months they were apart, stumbling through her recovery with the help of bracing late night drives.

Not much made Yang feel as good as she did when she was bent over the seat of her bike.

She had to hold that thought, because standing right in their path were two hooded fox Faunus. Calm, with their arms by their sides, they gave Yang no time to change direction. They were standing completely still, staring with dark eyes. All of it seemed strangely rehearsed and stilted, and Yang felt a familiar lurch in her chest as she narrowly avoided colliding with them.

Wheels spinning out of control, the bike, along with a disoriented Yang and a panicked Blake, barrelled its way through the crowd. Faunus were diving out of the way, some tugged away by others. There was a chorus of confusion, yells and screams, a lot of them drowned out by the bike ramming into one of the market stalls.

Yang was thrown from the seat, her robotic arm stretched out in front of her to break her fall, it was all she could think to do, mind racing. Hitting the ground, she heard the muffle of a crowd surrounding her, and most importantly - Blake calling her name.

Her neck ached and burned from the impact with the ground, but she bit her lip and forced herself to sit up, frantically searching for black hair and yellow eyes in the crowd.

Everything fell still and silent, the only disturbance being the dust clouding Yang's vision. Then, it was shattered by a yell and a loud crash from the other side of the market, and suddenly Yang realised with horror that Blake had been right.

She hadn't been ready for Adam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like to headcanon yang as being pretty artistic after someone on tumblr pointed out how good her drawing was during Burning the Candle (not forgetting that she spray painted her arm really impressively, like WOW yang), thus the image of yang painting cat ears on the helmet she bought blake came into my head and yeah. i thought it was cute.
> 
> i might even have to draw it now.
> 
> anyway, thanks for reading!! <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel sososo anxious about this chapter. hope you guys like it!

A stampede of footsteps, indistinct voices, dizziness, all of it throwing Yang’s mind back and forth.

She’d managed to drag herself out of immediate danger, grabbing what remained of one of the market stools that had been rammed back into one of the buildings. There was splintered wood everywhere along with clothes, food, everything, strewn across the road.

Yang looked down at her hands, swallowing down long, deep breaths, close to hyperventilating.

There hadn’t been many moments like this in her life, when she had a suffocating feeling of doom and despair, certain that she was about to lose something else.

The world stopped spinning, the ringing in her ears fading into the screams of something, someone. Pushing herself to her feet, fists clenched, Yang stumbled forward. The crowd was thinning out, running and scrambling for their lives.

The panic grew again when there was a gunshot, followed by another, and then a crash.

Yang’s eyes widened and she skidded to a halt at the corner. She was tossed around and pushed aside by hysterical onlookers as she stood, listening out, begging for some sign of Blake. But she could barely see, her eyes stung from the dust and tears threatened to blur her vision. She tried yelling but her throat was dry, and even if she had managed to call out for Blake, she hadn’t heard it over the noise invading her ears from all sides.

Blake couldn’t have disappeared so quickly. She’d been right behind Yang, on the bike, holding her, with that black helmet-

Then Yang saw it, just as a large group of Faunus charged over it, tripping and flailing to get away. It rolled half a metre and came to a stop just short of the Faunus in front of Yang. Barging past them, she scooped it up quickly, turning it over in her hands. Dented and marked, it was beaten up badly. Yang didn’t want to think about what that meant for Blake.

Instead, she pushed forward. “Blake!” she screamed. “Blake!”

No reply. Nothing.

All that was left for Yang to do was head for where the gunshots were coming from and hope she wouldn’t find Blake there too.

The silence that followed her as she sprinted through the now deserted streets felt suffocating, and she almost missed the heat of the crowd. Being totally alone, stalked by the shadow of the man who meant her harm - or worse. Yang’s jumbled mind struggled to think of anything worse.

So why did the loss of Blake scare her more?

Jaw clenched tight enough to hurt her teeth, she sped up, the muscles in her legs burning, every part of her body tense.

If that monster had Blake Yang would kill him. Break him, destroy him, ruin him like he had Blake. And her. He’d broken her too.

All this time, he’d been watching her. Toying with her life like a chess master. Laughing at her.

Yang could imagine the smile he’d be wearing when she finally caught up with him. It would be just like the one she’d seen before everything went black, back on that night when he’d stolen everything from her. A knowing smile. A smug, victorious smile.

Rounding another corner, another gunshot sounding from a distance, Yang balled her fists, ready to use them. “You haven’t won yet,” she murmured under her breath.

Stumbling to a halt at the next clearing, she took a cautious look around. Abandoned market stalls, cloth blowing in the wind, the creaking of a door. Yang breathed in a few times. Then, a cough, probably not intended to be so loud, caught her attention. Behind one of the stalls, a family of sheep Faunus cowered, eyes pleading.

Yang opened her mouth to speak until two gunshots fired, sounding closer than they had before. “Hey! Do you guys have a death wish or something?” She pointed in the opposite direction. “Get out of here! Now!”

Without hesitation, Yang once again sprang forward into a run, feeling so riled up that she couldn’t even feel her feet hitting the ground. It was a steady rhythm, pounding in her ears. Her blood was reaching boiling point, an anger inside her that she hadn’t felt since she’d walked in on Adam violating Blake.

The same itch for a fight was there too, telling her that this time she would get it. This time she didn’t have a baseball bat, nor a plan for escape. Her bike was off the road, streets away. She had nothing but her fists.

Unfortunately she’d crashed right into a gunfight.

A bullet shot past her, too far to have actually been aiming for her, but Yang dove out of the way as if her life depended on it. Heart pounding, head spinning, she felt a twinge of fear in her stomach, and just a few stray butterflies. Too hot with anger to be frozen with fear, she gritted her teeth and pushed ahead.

The street felt long and winding, but surprisingly no more bullets fired. The air was clear, the street silent and calm.

Something cool and sharp pressed against the skin of Yang’s back, holding her there. Sweat dripped from her nose.

“How fitting that I am the one approaching  _you_ from behind this time?” came a low voice from over her shoulder.

More pressure was applied to the blade, making Yang bare her teeth. “Not man enough to face me head on?” It drew blood, a trail of warmth running down Yang’s spine.

“Where is Blake?”

Yang widened her eyes. So he didn’t have her. For a brief moment, she felt some relief. “Go die.”

“Wrong answer,” Adam whispered, and Yang felt the blade cut just a little deeper before pulling away. Yang twisted around as soon as she was free, clawing at him, throwing punches. He threw down his sword and dodged all of her advances easily before leaning forward and grabbing her by the hair. “It was a simple question. Do you want to die for it?”

Eyes brimming with tears, Yang tried to reach forward with her robotic arm, fingers an inch away from his face. “You-”

He threw her to the ground, hand still tangled in her hair. “I’ve been admiring this from afar,” he mused, eyeing her prosthetic, smirking. In one swift motion, his other hand grabbed it and tugged. Hard.

A roar of pain, so loud and so gut wrenching that Yang didn’t recognise it as her own voice, echoed through the streets of Menagerie.

Throughout her recovery, through the dull pain in her stump, the numerous surgeries and the days of hell she’d been through when she couldn’t remember what it felt like to not be in pain, nothing had ever felt as degrading and painful, physically and emotionally, as Adam twisting and pulling and trying to rip off her arm.

Yang’s eyes were tightly shut, keeping in the tears, but she could feel Adam growing impatient. His grip on her hair had strengthened and she could hear the strain in his voice. Tension built, his grasp on the arm tightened and no matter how hard she fought, he was stronger.

And then he showed it by tearing her prosthetic off, growling low in his throat as he did so. Triumphant, he hauled her back to her feet.

“You’re nothing without this,” he taunted, and threw it to the ground. “You’re useless. Weak. Here you are, hopelessly waiting for Blake to save you. Haven’t you learnt by now that the only thing Blake is good for is running?” He pulled her hair, forcing her to look up at him. “She isn’t coming.”

Yang, ignoring the blinding pain in her stump, tried to kick at him. “Good,” she snarled.

“Oh?”

“I can kick your ass all on my own,” she warned. “The further away Blake is from you, the better!”

“You really think you can protect her?” Adam let out a cruel laugh. “By all means, try.”

She knew he was toying with her, yet it didn’t stop her from trying to land a punch. His hand was still in her hair, and each time she moved he would whip her head back. Still, she kept trying. She wouldn’t lose this fight. Adam was playing dirty, humiliating her, a tactic that seemed to come naturally to him.

To Yang’s surprise, he did eventually grow bored and let her go. Tumbling back to the ground, she scrambled across the dirt to reach her arm.

Adam kicked it away.

Dipping down, he picked up his sword and held it towards Yang’s chest. A lump formed in her throat but she gave none of her fear away to him. She stared up at him, defenceless, perhaps  _stupid_ , but defiant.

Adam tilted his head to the side, stepping forward menacingly, allowing Yang a better view of the houses behind. They ran all the way along the twisted road, different sizes, different heights. Something stood out, though. Something fast, leaping from roof to roof with a practised confidence.

Yang blinked. It had to be Blake.

Adam moved back into her eye line. “I wonder what I should take next.” The blade cut through the air inches away from Yang’s face. “Your other arm will do for now.”

It all happened so fast. The figure on the roof staggered on their next jump. The clatter of the impact was loud, even from a distance, and drew Adam’s attention.

Yang took the opportunity and lurched forward, using all of her strength to spring back to her feet. The sharp blade nicked her arm when she threw her fist at his chest. She’d never felt so  _strong_. Her fist cracked against his rib cage, sending him stumbling backwards. For once he looked taken off guard, the sword in his hands falling from his grasp.

It had been clumsy, her punch, and a while since she’d trained. A while since she’d had to fight anyone other than herself during her recovery.

Thoughtful, she shook her left fist, stretching her fingers. “I guess I just gained the upper hand, huh?”

Adam held a hand to his chest in disbelief, not pain. In fact he looked more offended than hurt. “You’re no match for me,” he growled, getting up, grabbing the sword.

Then he came at her, taking wide, sweeping strokes in a frenzied attempt to catch her. She dodged, hair bouncing.

She’d learnt that Adam was impatient, especially when it came to hurting her. He was angrily slashing towards her, and ended up slicing her upper arm. The sting of the blade made her falter and almost fall straight onto the sword.

Adam liked that. He laughed and lunged forward again, nearly catching her in the abdomen.

She couldn’t fight him like this.

Her prosthetic arm still lay on the ground a few feet away. At least with that she could deflect some of his attacks. Push him away. Punch him in his stupid smug face. She liked the sound of that. So, in the face of danger, she ducked underneath one of his long horizontal slashes and rolled away.

But she was pulled back by her hair. A yell ripped out of her. She fell backwards, slamming her head on the ground. A flash of pain shot behind her eyes before she could open them again, Adam grinning down at her.

The world seemed so small at that moment. Like it was just the two of them, and Yang knew it was the end.

Feebly, she felt around for her arm, biting her lip. All of her confidence had disappeared as quickly as it had come. Adam was holding the sword to her throat and she could feel the sharpness every time she swallowed.

“You should feel privileged,” he said, voice gruff. “With your death, my mission to destroy everything Blake loves begins.”

Yang couldn’t speak, she could only glare at him, breathing heavy. She ached all over. Adrenaline had pumped her body full of the need to run away. But she couldn’t. Adam pressed the blade closer to her skin, savouring every sound she made as it cut in.

“Stay away from her!” came Blake’s voice, out of breath yet determined. She vaulted over onto a nearby roof, was shot at by a hidden gunman and quickly crouched down low.

Adam’s men were hiding, shooting at everything that moved. Now Blake had their attention, and their aim. Yang clenched her fist. There wasn’t much she could do. Adam was too strong for her to overpower and he’d never let her get close enough to reattach her robotic arm.

There was another shot, followed by a long burst of bullets from the other side of the street. From what Yang could see, Blake had managed to leap over to the next roof. Then… disappeared.

“Such a disappointment,” Adam said, shaking his head. “I was counting on her being here to watch you die.”

“Adam!” Blake yelled. Yang, eyes wide, tried to turn her head, only to be blocked again by the sword. “Let her go!”

Adam smirked. “My love.”

“ _Don’t_ call me that,” Blake spat, coming to a stop just ahead of them. “Let Yang go. Now.”

“And ruin my plan? Oh, dear Blake.” He chuckled. “This has been months in the making. I won’t give up on it now.”

Blake stepped forward, eyes flicking to Yang. “Please.”

“Begging? Is that what you are now? A beggar?” The sword fell slightly. “You’ve always been weak.”

“Let her go, Adam, now.”

“Weak. Not foolish.” He ignored her, enjoying the torment. “Never did I think you would be foolish enough to trust a human girl over your own kind.”

“Take me instead,” Blake pleaded, never taking her eyes off of Yang.

“And now you would die for her?” Adam angrily prodded the sword closer. “Just what is she to you?”

Blake moved forward, eyes narrow. “You’ve been watching us all this time, haven’t you? You know what she means to me.” Yang looked down, stomach twisting.

Adam clenched and unclenched his fists. “You’re  _mine_.” Irate, he turned back to Yang and grabbed her by the hair. “You’ve always been mine, Blake.” The sword pulled away and curved around to lay at the side of her neck. “If this is what I have to do to keep you, I will not hesitate.”

The sword swung up, and Yang expected to feel a shift in the air as it came down again. It never did.

Instead, Blake stormed up to Adam and punched him.

There was a crack of the jaw and he staggered backwards, stiffly falling to his knees, blood dribbling down his chin from a split lip.

Blake watched him wipe his mouth, throwing herself between him and Yang, arms outstretched. When he did nothing but grunt and turn away, Blake twisted around to face her, grabbing her hand quickly. Yang nodded for Blake to pick up her prosthetic and they bolted off down an alleyway, narrowly dodging a bullet.

They came out into a different part of the market, but just as much of a ghost town as the rest of it. Blake was breathing heavily, and swiftly let go of Yang's hand, passing her the robotic arm. Keeping her distance. "Can you fit it back on yourself?"

"Not yet." A shrug. "It hurts." The prosthetic fell to the ground again. Blake's eyes searched her face, brows furrowed. Her eyes were glazed over and hardly blinking. Hesitantly, she took a step closer, but stopped herself. Yang held out her hand. “Blake, I-”

Shaking away all of her doubts, Blake ran to Yang, grabbing her by the collar of her jacket and yanking her down into a kiss. The blonde stumbled, snaking her arm around Blake’s waist just in time to catch her before they both fell.

It was soft and breathy, and there was desperation in every little thing Blake did.

She was hungry for more, pressing her lips, her chest, all of her, closer into Yang. She tilted her head to the side, pulling Yang with her, whimpering into her.

Eyes wide, heart pounding, Yang parted her lips and returned the kiss just as fiercely. Blake’s eyes were half closed, and Yang could feel the heat from her cheeks every time she moved her head to the side, tracing over Yang’s bottom lip with her tongue.

Somewhere along the way, Yang’s hand had found it’s way through Blake’s hair, along her neck, tingling fingers brushing over flushed skin.

Blake pulled away, her bottom lip pink and swollen. Yang leaned down a little, ready for another round. “What was that for?” she whispered through short pants of excitement.

“Do I need a reason?” Blake breathed, warm and sweet, close to Yang’s mouth before kissing her again, capturing Yang’s bottom lip between her own.

It was hard for both of them not to smile into it, with Blake trying her best to keep going, barely giving Yang a moment to catch her breath. Blake parted for air, bottom lip still touching Yang’s, pressing one more chaste kiss to the corner of Yang’s mouth.

Yang felt giddy, wistful, and like she could kiss Blake for at  _least_ another five hours. “Does this mean-”

They had been so caught up in their own little world, where only they existed, only they mattered, that when Blake’s eyes widened before rolling back, mouth agape, Yang felt herself shatter and fall down.

Adam, like a shadow, emerged from behind, sword in hand. Blake fell limp against Yang when Adam pulled his sword out of her left side. The warm blood spilling onto her made Yang feel sick to her stomach. Frantic, she held Blake up, applying pressure to the wound with her hand.

Smirking, teeth stained red with blood, he examined his blade proudly, running his hand along the edge. “If I cannot have her, then neither can you.”

“I’ll kill you!” Yang yelled, crying, hopeless, itching to get up and fight him right then and there.

Without another word, nor a glance at Blake, he slowly walked away, sword by his side, dripping a trail of blood.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys. i'm so sorry for the last chapter. i know adam seems invincible right now but even in canon blake and yang have no hope of defeating him (yet).
> 
> hopefully this chapter is a little less brutal. hopefully.
> 
> again, thanks for reading! <3

Every time she braved a look down, more blood stained her jacket. Blake lay limp over her shoulder, deathly pale and groaning each time Yang moved too quickly.

“Damn it,” she cursed under her breath. She’d been forced to leave her arm behind. It was useless now anyway, and it couldn’t be reattached without a doctor and the right equipment. It was useless. She was useless.

Though that hadn’t stopped her from trying, running through Menagerie as quickly as she could, searching high and low for a doctor. A hospital. Anybody.

But the place was deserted, as it should have been. Adam might have disappeared but his men could still be hidden, waiting for prey. One bullet and it would all be over. For the both of them.

Yang stumbled over her own feet, whimpering. All it took was one tear rolling down her cheek to make her break down completely. Sobbing, she felt her knees buckle and she collapsed, still holding Blake close with her left arm. “I’m sorry,” she cried. “I can’t do anything, Blake…”

“Yang,” Blake breathed, nuzzling into the crook of Yang’s neck.

“Don’t talk,” Yang urged. “Relax. You’ll be okay. Somehow… I’ll find a way. I promise.” Looking down at Blake, how feeble and cold she looked, Yang couldn’t bear it. And to think that Yang’s name could be her last word, tha-

“Yang, it’s okay,” she said, voice weak. “When I…” She coughed, shoulders shaking, and Yang rubbed her back, tracing circles. “When I’m gone, there won’t be… anything keeping you here. So…” Yang shook her head, huffing, tears rolling down her cheeks. Blake grimaced and weakly grabbed Yang’s face, stopping the tears with both thumbs. “Promise me you’ll run. Go home… be safe and happy.”

“Happy?” Yang frowned. “Without you?”

Blake looked away, wincing in pain. “Have I ever made you happy?”

“Are you serious?” Yang sniffled, lip quivering. “You’ve… made me feel lots of things.” Her voice cracked, and Blake held a finger to her lips.

“I wish I could kiss you again.”

Yang held her as close as she could with one arm, burying her face in black hair. “You can. Like, a thousand times, once we get back… and you’re okay.”

“I… I knew this would be my last chance to do it," she said quietly.

Yang tightly closed her eyes. “How many other chances did you have?”

“Countless,” Blake breathed. “Every time you smiled at me.”

Yang held in a sob, left arm wrapped around Blake’s frame. Their clothes were dried red with blood, along with Yang’s arm and Blake’s torso. All colour had been drained from Blake’s face. Her eyes lacked their usual spark, the playfulness that Blake hid well behind her aloof exterior. None of her strength remained. Even Yang herself felt weak. Powerless to do anything but sit in the dirt, broken, waiting out the inevitable. “Everything will be okay,” she lied, cradling Blake.

It was still, as silent as death, and as cold. Yang shivered. There was somebody behind them. She felt them, stalking, hunting.

Blake groaned. Yang gulped in a breath, her nose stuffed up, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Was it her that was cold or was Blake slipping away? She couldn’t decide. The only thing she was certain of was if that was Adam behind them, she had nothing to lose. She would go all in and break him, or be broken again in the process.

“Um, h-hello?” someone stuttered.

It was a gentle voice, but still Yang flinched. “Wha-” she crooked her neck quickly,  _too_ quickly, and locked eyes with one of the sheep Faunus she’d encountered earlier. She blinked away a tear, turning her head and looking down. “I thought I told you guys to get out of here. It’s still not safe.”

“I can help!” he blurted out all of a sudden. “I- I’m sorry! Come!”

“What? Let’s go!” Yang shouted, eyes wide. It was a life line. An admittedly thin one, but better than nothing. Hoisting Blake back up, whispering encouraging words into her ear, Yang bolted after the sheep Faunus, who was running off ahead, pausing every few seconds to point in whichever direction he was taking them.

“The doctor, he… um, my-”

“What?” Yang pressed, strength failing.

“Should be here,” the Faunus mumbled, cautiously pushing open the door to a wooden-walled, wooden-roofed building that looked totally unremarkable, identical to every other building in Menagerie.

Yang hesitated, convincing herself that she was being tricked somehow. What if the kid was one of Adam’s spies? This was all part of his plan. Lure them in, finish Blake off, and get rid of the exhausted one-armed girl all in one go. Foolproof, right?

She was greeted by an empty house and an echo when she worked up the nerve to barge in.

The Faunus boy was stood across from them, scuffing his boot along the floor of the hall. “H-he’s not here anymore.”

“Yeah,” Yang struggled to say. “I know.” She shifted and leaned against the wall for support. “She’s in trouble.” Blake groaned, clumsily holding a hand to her wound. “I don’t think I can move her again.”

“My-”

“Thanks for trying, kid,” Yang said, grimacing.

The young boy didn’t say anything else, keeping his eyes to the floor. Yang sighed and leaned her head back, brushing hair out of Blake’s face. There were smudges of blood on her cheeks. Her eyes were closed, eyelids fluttering. She looked in pain. That was all Yang could think of when she looked at her face.

 _Creak_.

Yang shot her head up, searching the room. The Faunus boy hurried over to her, eyes as wide as the moon, before puffing out his cheeks and bolting out of the house.

Yang didn’t follow. Pressed against the wall, she waited, listening hard. Nothing else creaked. The house stayed eerily silent. Her own pounding heartbeat was the loudest sound up until a gun fired outside, throwing Blake out of her pain induced stupor.

They could stay here, where it was safe and sheltered. Everything would be okay.

A bullet flew through the window opposite them, glass flying everywhere. Yang shielded them both as best she could, squinting.

Then, all that was left to do was run. It seemed like that was all they ever did.

Yang hoisted Blake up, taking a mental note to work out more. Her left arm was being put through it’s paces, and would likely hurt like hell in the morning. If she even made it that far.

As she made a run for it through the doorway, she could see the blurred outline of a figure in the distance, tripping over itself.

Self sacrificial as always, Yang held tightly onto Blake and pressed ahead, catching up to the boy in no time. “Hey!” she yelled, “follow me, okay?” Without thinking, she swerved down an alleyway. Luckily the gunfire had simmered down by then. There was one last shot, far off in the distance, leaving Yang to catch her breath a little, jogging and giving the Faunus boy a chance to catch up. “C’mon, let’s go to the chief’s house.”

Blake’s condition had worsened by the time the three of them reached the porch. Her grip on Yang was hardly there anymore, pale arms draped around her shoulders. Yang had tried to ignore it, convincing herself that Blake was going to be fine. Looking over her shoulder, she climbed the steps. The Faunus boy trailed behind.

When she came to the top, two things hit her. The large wooden doors were ajar, light pouring out onto the concrete, along with voices. A low chatter, hushed and nervous.

Yang didn’t trust it. It was Adam’s men, it must have been. There was no wa-

“Papa!” the boy cried, squeezing through the gap in the doors and jumping into his father’s arms.

Yang stood dumbfounded, yellow light thrown over her and Blake as the door slowly swung open. There were Faunus sat in the entrance hall, up against the walls, huddled together. Others were stood in groups. Some injured, some tending to the injured.

In the middle of them was Kali, trying to calm a fellow cat Faunus down. As soon as Yang saw her, she stepped inside, breaking into a run while trying to avoid colliding with anyone.

“Yang?” Kali blurted out, feline ears perking up. When she caught sight of Blake, they flattened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. “Blake! My baby girl!” She rushed to meet them, shaking her head. All attention was suddenly on them, and Yang felt the urge to cry. “What happened to her? Blake?!”

“Blake? Kali, where is she?” Ghira appeared from the next hall, his booming voice cutting through the crowded room. “Blake!”

They quickly hurried Yang into the guest room, which, like every other room, was filled with frightened Faunus. “Please, give us some space,” Kali ordered, voice shaking.

Yang laid Blake down on the bed, revealing just how gruesome the wound was. Blake’s right hand kept a grip on Yang, pulling her down with her. The blonde sunk to her knees next to the bed, head slumped forward. She couldn’t move her arm, she couldn’t do anything, not even breathe.

Blake groaned, eyes squeezed shut, only stopping her writhing when Kali took her right hand. “Shh, sweetheart, I’m here. Yang’s here.”

Yang’s eyes watered. “I’m so sorry.”

“What’s going on? Nobody’s telling me anything!” Sun’s voice echoed out in the hall.

A moment later, Ghira stormed into the guest room with Sun in tow, along with the little Faunus boy’s father. “Please save her,” Ghira said, voice soft but urgent.

Tense moments slogged by as the doctor checked on Blake’s condition, examining the wound before applying pressure with a bed sheet - the best he could do considering the limited medical resources. The Belladonna residence was no hospital. “It isn’t as deep as I first thought,” he explained, prompting Kali to gasp in relief. “However, she  _has_ lost a lot of blood. I don’t know how she’s managed to stay conscious all this time.”

“I imagine it’s thanks to you,” Kali said to Yang.

It wasn’t, Yang wanted to say. It was all Blake. She was the strong one.

“Let’s hope this stops the bleeding,” the doctor muttered to himself.

None of it felt real to Yang. The shock, the adrenaline of the chase had all worn off and left behind nothing but disbelief. Room spinning, she gripped the bed sheets, wishing it was Blake’s hand. But Blake was lying slack on the bed, barely conscious of her surroundings. Yang was aware of Sun pacing behind her, peering over and occasionally patting her on the shoulder.

They were told to leave soon after. The doctor gave no explanation, but by the grave look on his face Yang assumed it wasn’t good. He was pale and sweaty and still stubbornly pressing down on the wound when they filed out of the room, throwing worried glances back until Ghira pushed the door closed.

“What the heck happened?” Sun cried.

Kali shook her head and motioned to the kitchen. “Questions like that can be saved for later,” she said, rubbing Yang’s back. “For now we all need to stay calm and be th-”

Ghira growled and slammed his fist against the wall, startling everybody in the hallway, including the already on edge Faunus. A few of them scurried away into different rooms, eyes wide in surprise. Kali stepped toward him but he pulled away harshly and charged down the hall.

For the next half hour, Kali insisted they have some tea to calm their nerves, despite Yang craving something  _a lot_ stronger. It was uncomfortable. Anxiety had consumed Yang as soon as she’d sat down. Sun and Kali watched her fidget and keep her eyes on the doorway, which Yang misconstrued as them staring at her stump. Neither of them said a thing, though. They just sat, silently for the most part, though it was obvious Sun was itching to say something.

Her cup of tea sat cold on the table when the doctor finally poked his head around the door frame, face stricken with regret. Or fear. Both were bad news, and Yang pushed her chair out, standing, ready to barge past him and into the guest room down the hall.

“It isn’t my best work, but I’ve managed to clean and stitch the wound,” he said, hands shaking. “I can’t say whether she’s still in danger or not. Time… time will tell. I did all that I could.”

Kali walked over to him, arms outstretched. “Thank you,” she cried, giving him a side hug. “ _Thank you_.”

“You,” he suddenly said, pointing at Yang with a bloody finger. She’d been on her way out of the door, planning on getting back to the guest room and staying there for as long as it took for Blake to get better. “My son. He told me what you did.” Yang blinked a few times. “I lost him and his mother and brothers in the crowd. When I couldn’t find them here… well, I- I assumed the worst. I was in the middle of tending to the injured when they showed up. My wife, I’ve never seen her so upset. We thought... he was gone.”

“It was nothing special. I just did what anybody else would do,” Yang said, feeling totally undeserving.

“But they didn’t. You did. Everybody else was too busy running here for shelter.” He smiled, glancing over at Kali. “For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Then, he bowed, and Yang fought a blush.

“Um, so you don’t care that I’m a human?”

“Why should that matter? We’re all alive, my son and your friend thanks to the both of us. Do you care that I’m a Faunus?”

Yang held her hand up. “No way.”

“I’m glad.” He sent her a small smile before turning to talk to Kali.

Just then, Sun shot past Yang and out into the hall. Frowning, she chased after him. He was being an idiot again. If he disturbed Blake-

But to her surprise, he was stood outside the room, whistling with his hands behind his back. He lit up when he saw her and struck a pose, motioning for her to enter. “Girlfriends first!”

Yang immediately turned red. Sun wiggled his eyebrows, making her roll her eyes as she slid the door open. “Damn right.”

Unfortunately, though, it was just as Yang had expected. Blake was perfectly still underneath the bed sheets, a sheen of sweat covering her face. Her expression was pained, even with her eyes shut. If she was asleep, Yang couldn’t tell.

Without saying a word, she sat down by the side of the bed, Sun following suit. Slowly, Yang reached out and took Blake’s hand. Nothing else was said.

Later that evening, with the sky a dark shade of purple, Yang woke up to a stiff neck and cramp tingling down her left arm. Sun was gone and Blake was still out cold. Stretching, Yang rubbed her neck and accidentally let out a low groan.

Sat on the table beside the bed was a tray with a large mug of… something. Yang picked it up, eyeing it, before downing it in one. It was cold tea, she realised, and shrugged.

“She’s gotten you both mixed up in a lot of trouble, hasn’t she?” Ghira stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Yang's eyes were wide when she turned to look at him. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay."

Ghira nodded and moved closer to the bed. “I knew she’d be alright,” he said quietly, voice faltering. He took a long look down at his daughter before sighing and leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. Pulling away, he glanced over at Yang. “Do you mind if I stay a while?”

Yang smiled and rubbed the back of her head. “You don’t really need my permission.”

“No,” he said, sitting down. “But I don’t want to intrude.”

An awkward silence took over the room, Yang drumming her fingers on her knee, never taking her eyes off that one area of the wall.

Ghira was a powerful presence, and the sight of the tons of frightened Faunus squeezing into the large mansion had solidified him as not only a strong leader, but also a trusted one. A loved one. Yang’s admiration for him had doubled after that, as had her hesitation to talk to him in case she slipped up. She wasn’t good at keeping her mouth shut sometimes.

“What happened to you both out there?” he asked after a few minutes.

It was a simple question, with a difficult answer. “It’s complicated. And it… hurts.”

“I understand.”

“I crashed my bike again,” Yang admitted out of the blue. “Everyone was freaking out, including me. That’s why I lost Blake… I kept thinking back to the...  _other time._ ”

“It was Taurus, wasn’t it?” Ghira crossed his arms. “Blake never said much about him. Kali was the one who told me it was him who caused the accident. It was all over the news, according to her.”

Yang frowned. “You know him?”

“Know him? No. I wouldn’t say that. I know  _of him_.” He leaned back in his chair. “He was always sniffing around Blake, promising her things he could never come through with. It got to the point where myself and Kali were grounding her every week. We did everything we could to keep her away from him. But, she found her own way. She’s good at that.” With a sigh, he rubbed at his eyes. “I lost count of the number of times I caught her sneaking out. That was, until the night she never came back.”

Yang looked over at Blake, thoughtful. “I could’ve done more. I should’ve done more.”

“Pardon me, but what happened with… you know,” he said awkwardly.

“Oh, yeah, my arm.” Yang winced. “He ripped it off.”

Ghira raised his eyebrows. “I think you did more than enough with what you had.” Yang didn’t say anything, just clenched her fist. “Where is it now?”

“On some road out there.” She thought for a moment. “Then there’s my bike which is  _off_ the road. Ugh, my dad’s gonna kill me when I get home.”

Ghira grimaced. “We’ll get them both back.”

“Thanks,” Yang said, smiling, “but they’re both totally beat up.”

“They can be fixed. Everything can,” Ghira muttered, shifting his eyes from Yang back down to Blake.

The silence was more comfortable following the conversation and Yang felt she could relax more, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, listening to Blake’s shallow breathing.

“Do you love her?” Ghira then asked out of nowhere.

Yang almost pulled a muscle in her neck when she leaned forward. “I... that’s- what?”

“Don’t worry. You can say yes,” he replied. “I won’t go into overprotective dad mode.” Yang slumped her shoulders in relief. “I’m already in that mode most of the time, so Kali says.” He laughed, and Yang tried to fake one too. A large hand reached over and squeezed Yang’s shoulder. “You must love her a lot, to do all that you’ve done for her.”

That was it. What Yang had been searching for. Maybe it was a simplification of her feelings, or maybe it summed them up perfectly. For now, though, it seemed like just enough to make Yang certain that what she felt for Blake was real. After all, she had all the time in the world to figure it out completely, now that Blake was laying there, resting, recovering. “Yeah. I do."

"Good," he quickly said. “I’d much rather you than that Wukong boy.”

Blake stirred then, turning her head to the side, ears twitching. Yang and Ghira shared a smile and fell back into an understanding silence. The night drew in faster, and Yang swore she could hear Ghira snoring quietly after awhile. Unconsciously, her hand slipped into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

She was on four percent battery.

With a frustrated sigh, she stood and made for the balcony doors, sliding them open stealthily and stepping out into the humid night air. Scrolling, she came to the name she needed. It rang for what felt like forever, until a groggy voice answered. Yang smiled. "Hey, old man, I need your help."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, hope you enjoy the chapter! <3

“If dad asks, tell him everything’s great here,” Yang said, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder and trying to flatten down her hair. It was always unruly after a shower. “Rubes, I mean it, don’t say anything about you know who and the you know what happening.” Ruby made a few indecisive noises before something crashed in the background. “What was that?”

“Nothing!”

“ _Ruby._ ”

Her little sister huffed down the phone. “So you’re the only one allowed to have secrets? Huuuh?”

“What? Ruby, I don’t have secrets! I just told you everything!”

“Yeah, and then you made me promise not to tell dad! That’s the definition of secret!”

Yang let the phone slip down into her left hand. “You’re keeping the secret  _with_ me. There’s a difference.” Silence. “Sooo? You gonna tell me what that gigantic crash was?”

“Ummm… Imighthavesnuckintothegaragetofindsomethingtoreplaceyourrobotarm! But, yeah, something just fell onto another thing and then that fell too.”

Yang raised both eyebrows. “What? Ruby, you don’t need to do th- wait a sec, since when has there been a garage at the apartment?” She pouted. “Would’ve been nice to know every time I had to park three blocks away!”

Ruby went quiet for a second before sighing. “I’m not at the apartment right now. I’m back home.”

“Huh? How come?”

“After you left… things got hard for me on my own.”

Looking at her reflection in the steamed up mirror, Yang tried to smile. Maybe Ruby did still need her after all. “Rubes, I’m not staying here forever.” She didn’t say anything else. “Look, I know you like making stuff and you’re  _really_ good at it, but Blake’s dad said he’d find my arm and my bike and get them cleaned up.” Still nothing. Ruby was way too stubborn for her own good. “He’s pretty awesome. Kinda like uncle Qrow on steroids.”

“You’re coming home soon, right?”

“Aww, do you miss me that much?”

“I mean, I  _did_ until you said that…”

“Pfft, I miss you too, Rubes.”

Smile still on her face, Yang said goodbye and ended the call before sneaking back to the guest bedroom. It was five in the morning. Too early to be up. But she’d had a suspicion there would be a fight between herself and Sun for the shower, so she took advantage of the guest bedroom’s close proximity to the bathroom.

Most of the Faunus that had taken shelter under the Belladonna roof were gone, leaving only a few stragglers behind to clear up the hallways and rooms, getting ready to leave themselves.

Yang slid the bedroom door open and tiptoed back in, slipping back into the uncomfortable position she’d been in all night - bent over in a chair beside Blake. It killed her back, and her stump was still sore, but she’d rather endure the pain than leave Blake’s side for more than a few minutes. Her face was still pale and clammy with sweat and she hadn’t opened her eyes even once. All in all, Yang knew there was still something wrong.

Sighing, she leaned forward. “I miss you already,” she whispered. “There’s a bunch of stuff I need to tell you when you wake up.”

As soon as the words left Yang’s lips, there was a soft knock on the door. She turned her head, but whoever it was on the other side didn’t wait for a response. The door was pushed open and Kali appeared, peeking in, red-faced and flustered. “Oh! Good, you’re awake, Yang. There’s a suspicious looking man at the door for you.”

“That was quick,” Yang said to herself, getting up. “I guess he was up all night drinking again.”

“You  _do_ know him, don’t you? He’s very-”

“Drunk?”

“Rude,” Kali corrected as she guided Yang through the hall. “ _And_ drunk.”

“Sorry,” Yang replied, “he’s my uncle.”

“Really? Your uncle?” Kali paused. “I can’t say I see much of a resemblance.” Yang just gave a nervous laugh and followed Kali to the front door. “I suppose I’ll leave you two alone, then, shall I?” Yang nodded and Kali was off in a flash, leaving her to wonder what kind of thing Qrow could have said to offend her.

“Hey,” she simply said upon opening the door.

Qrow was leaning against one of the pillars with his hands shoved in his pockets. “About time.”

“It’s not my fault you were early for once,” Yang fired back.

Stepping in, Qrow chuckled. “You sounded desperate.”

He was right. “I had like... no battery on my phone.”

“Oh, so it had nothing to do with the psychopath who’d tried to kill you - what - a few hours before calling me?”

Yang shut the door and looked down. “He could’ve killed me but he didn’t. It’s weird, yeah, but that wasn’t the scariest part.”

“Yeah, your friend. How’s she holdin’ up?”

“She’s okay. I think. I can’t tell.”

Qrow nodded and took a look around the hall. “Her mom’s a fox, huh?”

“She’s a cat Faunus like Blake.”

“I meant that she’s-”

“Oh.” Yang frowned. “Oh! That’s why she thought you were suspicious. What the hell, man?! Did you hit on her?”

“Might’ve given her the ol’ Branwen smirk a couple times.”

“What?! Gross. Don’t do that to my girl- my friend’s mom!”

“Relax. I didn’t do anything," he replied, amused.

Yang raised an eyebrow. “Good, because you know her husband could easily kick your butt back to Vale, right?”

Qrow ignored her and nodded to what was missing. “What happened?”

“Lost my arm again,” she said, shrugging, while Qrow stared at her blankly, expecting more. “This is why I need you. Without my arm I’m useless.”

“Hey, that’s a strong word, kid.”

“But it’s true! Adam almost killed me and I just sat there waiting for him to do it!”

Shaking his head, Qrow thought for a moment. “You know where the son of a bitch is now?”

“He must still be here on the island somewhere.”

“Nah, wouldn’t put it past him to sneak off this quickly. He’s escaped us enough times, we’d know.” Qrow sighed and tilted his head back. “We need to figure out a plan.”

“Like a trap?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Just then, Kali made an appearance at the end of the hallway, shadow cast long along the floor. Yang looked up at her and smiled. “I don’t suppose you’d like a drink?” she asked.

The five of them were sat around the table before Yang could say a thing. Qrow had sent her a number of uncomfortable glances since sitting down. Each one went ignored. Ghira was the last to sit down, filling Yang in on Blake’s condition, clapping her on the back. Qrow watched him all the time, in the middle of being talked to death by Sun, who had learnt that he was a police officer and wouldn’t shut up about it.

“Do you have a gun?” Sun asked enthusiastically, spilling tea all over his hands.

“Unfortunately, no.”

Yang chuckled. “You’re not on duty today, right?”

“Why are you here?” Ghira asked, stone cold. “I don’t remember calling the police.”

“You didn’t.” Qrow picked up his cup and took a sip. “Got any whiskey to put in this?”

Kali widened her eyes. “I’m afraid not.”

“I called him,” Yang admitted. “He has a plan to catch Adam.”

Qrow choked on another sip of tea and sent her a disgruntled look. “Thanks for putting my foot in it, kid.”

“You have a plan?” Ghira interrupted.

“I’d call it more of an idea than a plan.”

Ghira leaned forward. “What kind of idea?”

“A dangerous one.”

Yang nudged him. “Quit being all weird and cryptic. What is it?”

“You tell me.”

“A trap, then, right?”

“A sting operation, huh?” Sun chimed in, whistling. “Sticking with the classics!” Yang stared at him, dumbfounded. “I like cop shows, okay?”

“‘Fraid you’re gonna be disappointed, kid,” Qrow said, leaning back. “It won’t be your traditional kinda sting, this’ll be a little more… y’know, unorthodox.”

Yang frowned. “What does that mean?”

“That we’ll be doin’ it my way.”

“Riiight,” she said, one eyebrow raised. “I still don’t know what that means.”

“Who cares? It sounds cool!” Sun said, slamming his cup down.

“I care,” Ghira interrupted, voice gruff. “I won’t let you put my people in danger.”

“Hey, no one said anything about your people getting involved in this.” Qrow shook his head. “One worm is all we need as bait.”

“Worm?” Ghira growled, offended.

“Your friend sleeping beauty is outta the running, so it looks like you’ve got the gig, kiddo,” Qrow said, looking to Yang.

With a gasp, Kali placed her hand on Yang’s shoulder. “I don’t think this is a good idea. She’s been thro-”

“Ma’am, I don’t like this much either, but if Taurus’ gonna come back for any of us, it’s gonna be her.”

“No,” said a soft voice. The door slid open to reveal Blake, hands awkwardly holding her side as she shuffled in, eyes narrow. “It will be me.”

“Blake!” Yang cried, and flew out of her seat, unable to fight the smile on her face. “How long have you been there?” she asked, slipping her arm around Blake’s waist.

“Long enough to hear that you’re planning on sacrificing yourself for me  _again_ ,” Blake whispered back, poking Yang in the chest weakly.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed, young lady,” Ghira bellowed, making his way over. “Come on, I’ll carry you back.”

Blake wrinkled her nose. “Dad, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, you-”

“Stop it!” she shouted, catching everyone off guard. Ghira stopped and leaned back. “I’m fine.”

“I think she’s fine,” Sun echoed, earning a shake of the head from Kali.

Blake joined them at the table, wincing as she sat down next to Yang. Ghira didn’t take his eyes off of her, which Kali must have noticed, because she constantly rubbed his arm, eventually settling on placing her hand on top of his.

“So, gang’s all here,” Qrow said nonchalantly. Everyone was silent as he downed his drink and pushed the cup away. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

What followed was a rushed explanation of his plan - idea - whatever it was. Yang was too busy keeping an eye on Blake to listen carefully, but she still found holes in her uncle’s plan.

Qrow might have been familiar with Adam, and if Yang’s assumptions were correct, there may well be a personal grudge between them, but she and Blake knew him more than anyone else in the room. Blake especially. And that’s why it took a lot for Yang to keep her mouth shut.

But then she couldn’t.

“This is a gold star plan and all, but shouldn’t Blake and me have, I dunno,  _some_ say in how we do this?”

Qrow paused and raised an eyebrow. He almost looked glad she’d interrupted him. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Adam thinks I’m dead,” Blake said.

Qrow nodded. “Straight to the point. I like it.”

“So I should be the bait.”

“Blake, no,” Ghira interjected, squirming in his seat.

“Dad.”

“You’re still recovering. What kind of father would I be if I sat back and let you put yourself in danger again?”

Blake frowned. “It’s my choice.”

“Your father’s right, honey, this is too dangerous,” Kali agreed.

“I’ve been in danger before,” Blake argued, “and I’m still here.”

“Next time you might not be so lucky,” Ghira said.

“I say let the kid do it,” Qrow said, breaking the silence.

Fuming, Ghira turned. “So now you expect me to put my people  _and_ my daughter in grave danger?”

Qrow frowned. “What did I say before? Your people will be fine.”

“And how will you manage that?” Ghira pushed, anger brewing. “We’re lucky we didn’t lose anyone during the attack. If we invite him back onto the island, we risk the lives of everybody here.”

“The desert,” Blake said quickly. “We can lure him into the desert.”

Ghira’s expression didn’t change. In fact he looked angrier. “Blake, you know the desert is just as dangerous as letting that maniac loose in the middle of town. There’s a reason we haven’t strayed that far out.”

“Is there anything on this island that  _isn’t_ dangerous?” Sun muttered to himself.

“Nah, that’s a good idea,” Qrow said. “Tell me more, kid.”

Blake nodded. “The island’s two thirds desert. The wildlife there is dangerous, as far as we know. My dad’s never let anyone out there to check it out.”

“Huge desert filled to the brim with scary wildlife, huh?” Qrow nodded. “I’ve slept in worse places.”

“I don’t wanna know,” Yang said under her breath.

“Sounds like the perfect place to ambush Taurus.”

“Let me get this straight,” Yang said. “We’re letting Blake get chased through the desert while we do… what?”

“You’re going with her.”

“Uh... what?”

“Seems to me like nothing gets his blood boiling more than seeing you two lovebirds together.”

Yang tried to look serious despite her face flushing pink. “I-”

“Huh. Never imagined you’d argue with that.”

“I’m not arguing. I’m just… disagreeing.”

“How come?”

“Hello? I’m kinda missing something. What if he attacks us before you get there? I’m gonna get my ass beat again. And Blake’s not gonna be able to fight in her condition.”

“Way ahead of you, kid. I’ll be waiting there with back up. All you gotta do is get there in one piece.” Yang slumped forward, giving him a ‘really’ look. “C’mon, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“The plan sounds good,” Blake said.

Yang blinked a few times. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“I should… go back to bed.”

Ghira immediately stood. “Finally something all of us can agree on.”

Standing, Blake trembled a little, but kept her balance thanks to Yang’s support. “I’m okay.”

“I’ll take you back,” Yang offered, but Blake swiftly shook her head.

“I can do it on my own.”

Confused, Yang stood still, hand outstretched, as Blake made for the door. Sun coughed, breaking the awkward silence that followed, before Yang slowly sunk back down into her seat.

Blake’s rejection told her all she needed to know; she wasn’t needed  _or_ wanted. Blake needed  _sleep_ , not her. So for the rest of the day, Yang kept her distance. Explaining things to Sun, Kali and a particularly reluctant Ghira took a lot out of her and watching Kali tiptoe around asking Qrow if he needed a place to stay was at least exhausting to watch. He’d said no, despite her not asking a question, and then he was off. Where? Yang couldn’t say, but he assured her he’d be back in the morning with backup.

If only everything since the accident had gone as smoothly.

As she fell back onto the bed, closing her eyes, she groaned. Stretching felt good. And frustrating. With one arm, every little thing she couldn’t do or feel annoyed her. She turned onto her side with a huff and opened her eyes. The view from the balcony was dark and grey for the first time since arriving on the island. The usual blue sky and blinding sun were replaced by black clouds and high winds. The glass doors shook every time it picked up, lulling Yang into a daze.

Someone knocked on the door, too loudly to be anyone but Sun. Yang called out and he burst in, boisterous as ever. He was grinning and saying something, but it was what he was holding that really caught Yang’s attention. She sat up and held her hand out.

“I was the one who found it,” Sun said proudly. Yang looked down at it. She’d been right. The arm was beat up and bent backwards, the paintwork scratched in places. Sun handed it to her, suddenly sheepish. “Yeah, uh, it was like that when I found it.”

“I believe you,” Yang replied, taking a good look at it. “This sucks.”

“Oh yeah, we found your bike too!”

“Let me guess, that’s a total wreck as well?”

“Well... it’s not  _not_ a total wreck.”

Great. “Like my life.”

Sun sat down on the bed next to her. “What’s up with Blake?” A pause. “Why does it feel like I ask that a lot?”

“Sun, she almost died. I think it’s fair that we give her space.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.” He stared at her. “It’s no wonder she likes you.”

Yang twisted around. “So she  _does_ like me?”

“Is that a serious question?” Yang narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay, sorry, jeez. It’s just really obvious she does, so… wow, you really didn’t know?”

“I wanna say yeah but… no.” She _had_  been pretty sure, until Blake's attitude earlier.

“Hey, she blew me off like, a dozen times because she was being all Blake-y because she missed you, so…”

Yang raised an eyebrow. “I knew it! You like her too!”

“Well, yeah.”

“Sun...”

“It’s cool. I came in second place, not too shabby!” He laughed a little, giving Yang permission to join in. “Just promise me I get to be best man at the wedding!”

“Whoa, wait a sec-”

“We’re taking things slow,” Blake said, freaking both Yang and Sun out.

“Blake!”

“Sorry.”

“You’ve  _really_ been in the ‘creeping up on us’ mood today,” Sun cried, holding his chest.

“I didn’t think we were going at any kind of speed,” Yang teased.

Blake crossed her arms. “Sun, please can we have a minute?”

“Don’t say that unless you want me to count!” he said, jumping up, tail waving back and forth. Blake just stared at him. “I’m kidding!”

The door closed and a second later Blake was stood in front of Yang, cornering her. “How could you think I don’t love you?”

Taken aback by Blake’s choice words, Yang’s mouth hung open. “I may look tough but I guess I’m super sensitive and sappy inside.” She watched Blake’s expression soften. “You pretty much rejected me earlier and it really hurt.” The tension built, Blake staring her down, and Yang had to stop herself from laughing out of nervousness. “I was about to have a big sulking session but Sun ruined it.”

At that, Blake finally smiled. “I’m supposed to be the emo one.” Yang made her best sad face and pointed to the space next to her on the bed. Blake sat down, hands in her lap. “I didn’t mean to reject you, or upset you. I was… embarrassed.”

“Why?”

Blake covered her face with a hand, eyes peering through her fingers. “The last time we saw each other I kissed you without thinking.”

“Okay, and…?”

“It’s awkward.”

“Not really.”

“Seriously? Yang.”

“Is this your way of saying you regret it?”

“No! Definitely not,” Blake cried, red faced. “I told you before, I thought it was my last chance to do it. Then it turns out it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to sound so disappointed about it.”

Blake stared Yang in the eyes, then grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss. Clumsy and just a tiny bit too forceful. Yang’s lips tingled but before she could kiss Blake back, she pulled away.

“Not complaining, but can you at least once let me kiss  _you?_ ” Yang said, head spinning. Blake smiled and slowly leaned forward, fluttering her eyes closed. “What are you doing?”

“Kiss me,” she murmured, “before I kiss you again.”

Wasting no time, Yang leaned in and pressed her lips against Blake’s. Softly. Gently. Her eyes remained open, for the sole purpose of watching Blake’s reaction. To Yang’s surprise, Blake’s brows furrowed, but whether it was out of confusion or disappointment stayed a mystery. Lips still connected, Blake poked Yang’s chest and she fell back, totally defenceless thanks to Blake’s unexpected forwardness. The two of them bounced slightly on the mattress, Blake toppling over but managing to correct herself and straddle Yang. Judging by the twinkle in her eye, she was planning on attacking Yang again, but the hiss that escaped her lips as she tried to bend over made Yang struggle to sit up right, panicking.

“Blake! Are you okay?” Yang cried, trying one more time to straighten up. “Man, I need to do more sit ups.”

Blake stifled a laugh. “Don’t m- ugh, ow, no - that hurts.” She pushed herself off of Yang, rolling over to lay beside her instead. “Ouch.”

Finally managing to prop herself up, Yang burst into a laugh. “We’re so dumb.” Blake just groaned and let out a sigh. “Wanna just sit here and read?”

“You read?”

“Nope, but you do.”

“Then... let me read something to you.”

“Sure, I’m down.”

It was raining when Blake returned to Yang’s room, three books in her arms. Yang had plumped up the pillows and lay, legs open, on the bed, watching droplets of rain slide down the balcony windows. Blake smiled and knelt down, crawling slowly across the bed and leaning herself against Yang’s chest. She opened up one of the books and started to read, shortly interrupted by Yang slipping her arm around her middle.

“Sorry, it’s awkward with one arm,” she said, embarrassed.

Blake shook her head. “It’s perfect.”


	14. Chapter 14

Rain poured down outside, the loud pattering on the roof bringing Yang back to consciousness. That, and the book that had coincidentally found it’s way underneath her back, with it’s sharp corners digging into her skin. She yawned, eyes bleary, and yanked it out from beneath her.

“Yang?” Blake’s sleepy voice murmured against her ear. “What are you doing?”

Blake was in what looked like an uncomfortable position, one leg pinning Yang down while both her arms hugged her around the middle. Her face was half buried into the pillow and she looked cute. Far too cute for having just woken up.

“Nothing,” Yang whispered. “Going back to sleep now.” Something told her she wouldn’t, though. Blake was holding onto her too tightly and her heart was pounding loudly in her ears.

“Mhm.”

Sleep still hadn’t come to her ten minutes later. The sky outside was dark, so dark that Yang couldn’t tell whether it was still nighttime or if it was simply the storm worsening.

However impossible it seemed to go back to sleep when her arm was pushed up hard against Blake’s cleavage, or when Blake’s slender leg moved over hers, Yang pushed through and kept her eyes closed, face burning. Then, quickly, Blake’s lips brushed Yang’s cheek and she flinched, opening her eyes wide. “That book was so good,” she said, just for the sake of saying something. Having Blake so close was frying her brain. She still wasn’t used to it.

From Yang’s limited view, Blake looked half amused, half surprised. But above all, tired. Her lips parted and she let out a sleepy laugh. “We only got to page four.”

Yang shrugged with her right shoulder. “It’s probably the most I’ve read since I used to read Ruby bedtime stories.”

“You don’t like reading?”

“I prefer beating stuff up.”

_"Stuff?"_

“Punching bags, guys who get too close to Ruby, the usual,” Yang said, grinning. “How do you think I got these guns?” She tried to flex and was swiftly reminded of the lack of her right arm. “Uh... gun.”

Blake sat up. “Are you okay without your prosthetic?”

Yang opened her mouth, eyes trailing over Blake’s body as she shuffled up and out of the sheets, finally focusing on something... worrying. “Blake! You’re bleeding!”

Blake slowly looked down at her blood stained t shirt and frowned, far calmer than Yang. “There isn’t much.”

“In this situation I think _any_ blood is too much,” Yang replied, sitting up. “I’m gonna go get your parents.”

Yang was halfway up when Blake grabbed her arm. “I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt. Yang, please. Don’t.”

“Why not? You need to see the doctor again, Blake, this is serious.”

“I don’t want them to worry.”

“They already are,” Yang said, crouching down low enough to keep eye contact. “You’re gonna make them worry even more if you keep this from them. Trust me, I felt like that when I was in the hospital. I tried to hide the pain I was in so Ruby and my dad wouldn’t freak out. I still do. Kinda. Ruby’s sensitive like that. But in the end, keeping this stuff a secret never helps.”

Blake looked like she might reconsider, before her eyes flicked back up, determined. “I can’t let you face him again. Not on your own.”

“Well, according to my uncle’s genius plan, I won’t be facing him. I’ll be running away.”

“Yang.”

“Okay, sorry.”

“I need to be with you.”

“Not if you’re gonna be out there bleeding everywhere.” Yang shook off Blake’s hand and took it in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You need to be here.”

Blake considered the words, keeping her eyes on their intertwined fingers for a moment. “Okay, you can tell my parents. And you can call the doctor.” Yang smiled and tried to pull away. “But first…” Blake leaned in and kissed Yang’s lips, tugging her down on top of her and accidentally slipping one of the straps of her tank top down too.

Yang shook her head and tried to catch her breath. “You have really bad timing, y’know? You only wanna kiss me when there’s other stuff we should be doin-”

Blake cut her off with another kiss. “What ‘other stuff’?”

“Like…” Yang looked at Blake and frowned. “Like telling your parents that you’re bleeding.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Yang placed a kiss to Blake’s cheek and hurried over to the door. “I’m gonna go do that.” She was in such a rush that she didn’t notice Blake holding a hand to her injured side or the hushed whimper of pain she let out when she pressed down.

* * *

The doctor arrived quicker than Yang expected. He looked shaken and on edge, scurrying into the bedroom with a suitcase full of who knew what. Ghira was on his heels, followed by Kali, then Yang and an apprehensive Sun.

Blake then underwent a thorough check up, including an uncomfortable look at her stitched up wound. A pink rash had spread over her stomach and the deep cut itself was bleeding out even as the doctor examined it. Poking it around, asking Blake if it hurt every few seconds.

Ghira told him to stop a couple of times, raising his voice even more than usual. It seemed to work, and the doctor recoiled, apologetic. He explained that he was anxious. The wound was in an awkward place, apparently, and he was far from confident in his ability to treat it.

“You’re our only doctor,” Ghira pointed out. “You will help her.”

“Of course,” he replied, nodding, but it didn’t take a genius to notice the shake in his voice.

Being ousted from Blake’s room had become a common occurrence, and each time the anxiety it caused skyrocketed. All that Yang could think to do was sit out on the steps and wait for any sign of Qrow. Her uncle was a lot of things. Rarely was he totally reliable. But he’d promised her he would be back, and somehow that was enough to make her believe him.

Yang was tossing rocks up in the air when Sun raced out, calling her name.

They both ran back inside, just in time to catch Ghira talking to the doctor out in the hall. He looked relieved, but stern, and the doctor was peeling off a pair of bloodied gloves, avoiding eye contact.

“I have no idea if that’s a good sign or a bad sign,” Sun muttered, scratching his head.

“Only one way to find out,” Yang said, and slid open the door.

Kali was sat inside, hands wrapped around Blake’s. Blake herself was propped up on her pillows, bandages wrapped tightly around her abdomen.

Wasting no time, Yang walked over to the other side of the bed and grabbed Blake’s other hand. “Everything okay?”

“That’s what the doctor thinks,” Kali answered. “I’m not so sure. You do look pale, sweetheart.”

“Mom, I’m fine.”

“Well... if you’re sure.”

Blake turned to Yang. “You were right.” With a chuckle, Yang bent over and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

“Oh!” Kali cried, cat ears flicking up.

“Not in front of the children!” Sun yelled and covered his eyes with both hands.

“Oops! Uh, sorry, that was gross, huh?” Yang rambled, unsure of what to do with herself.

“No, no, I think it’s sweet!” Kali said quickly. “Honestly, I’ve been waiting for you both to do _something_.”

“Mom!”

Ghira came into view by the door with his arms crossed. Exasperated, he gruffly said, “They’re here.”

At first Yang didn’t catch the meaning, looking back and forth between him and Blake, puzzled.

Blake squeezed Yang’s hand. “Don’t change the plan.”

“But you-”

“How many times do I have to say I’m fine before anyone believes me?”

Ghira stepped forward. “You’re staying here. And that’s final.”

Much to Blake’s annoyance, Yang didn’t say anything else. Instead, she opted to slip away, sending Blake a reassuring smile. Blake scowled and attempted to sit up, only to hiss in pain and fall back down, Kali fussing around her.

Conflicted, Yang made her way outside. As she neared the large doors, she could hear muffled shouts and car doors being slammed. Frowning, she hauled the door open to reveal Qrow halfway up the steps, talking to someone behind him in a hushed voice. Whoever it was scurried away when they saw Qrow nod towards Yang, and he finished his ascent to the top of the steps.

Yang’s eyes skimmed over the small group of armed police assembled in front of the house. “This is backup?”

“Yeah,” Qrow said, tilting his head. “Why?”

“I dunno. I was expecting something… bigger.”

“Look, kid, we’re short staffed. This is the best I could do.” He turned to look at them. “They might not look like much, but they’ll get the job done.”

“Yeah, about that…” Qrow brought his lazy gaze back to her. “Blake’s gonna have to sit this one out.”

“Is that family indecisive or what?” Despite his tone, he looked relaxed, like nothing had changed. “As long as you’re still up for it.”

Yang shrugged. “I’m not exactly into it but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

“Now you’re getting it,” he muttered, taking out his flask and downing a swig.

“So… when is all this going down?”

“Tomorrow.”

His answer was fast, too fast, and caught Yang off guard. Her hand suddenly felt clammy, and a buzz of adrenaline shot through her body. There was hesitance, too. And fear. “This is gonna work, right?”

“If I knew that do you think I’d be drinking this much?”

“Uh… yeah,” Yang deadpanned.

He took another swig. “Point is, I’m as nervous as you are.”

“Yeah, I really doubt that.” She looked down. “If this goes south, tell Ruby and dad th-”

Qrow placed his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I’ll be damned if it comes to that. Not gonna happen. You’re gonna trust me and I’m gonna trust you out there.”

“Right,” she mumbled.

Qrow watched her for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes, then stepped back and finished drinking whatever was in his flask. “Just try not to get caught.”

Yang raised an eyebrow. “ _Okay._  Great advice.”

“I’d better get going.”

“What? Where to?”

“I’ve got places to be, people to boss around. Police stuff.”

“So your go-to excuse? Yeah, I got it.” Yang pouted. “You’ll be back though, right?”

“Later,” he said, turning and making his way back down the steps, calling out orders to someone at the bottom.

Yang stood and watched for awhile, thinking. About _everything._  Time seemed like it was becoming more of a luxury with everything that had happened. Blake was still in danger, Yang was back to square one without an arm, and worries over Ruby had wormed their way back into her mind’s eye. She missed her sister, and her dad. Her friends, too. Those that she had left. But she knew she couldn’t leave. She knew that if she did, she’d only end up missing Blake, and her parents. The island. Even Sun.

A sigh escaped her and she bought her hand up to feel her stump. Saying she felt like a burden was an understatement.

So, she went to Sun for help. Which wasn’t something she ever thought she’d do again. It just didn’t seem logical.

Still, he agreed with a bright grin when Yang slammed her robotic arm down on the table in front of him. “So how do we do this?” he asked.

“Well… I was hoping you’d have some ideas.” Yang tried a smile, but Sun looked clueless. “Or we could just sit here and stare at it for a while until something happens.”

“I vote the second thing.”

“C’mon, I need to get this fitted back by tomorrow somehow.” She bit her lip. “It doesn’t have to be pretty.”

“Okay, okay.” Sun rubbed his hands together. “This is how we do it.”

A short while later, Yang knocked on Blake’s door. There was a muffled call and Yang slid the door open slowly, poking her head in. “Hey.”

Blake was reading, and it was hard not to notice the pile of books on the bedside table. “Hey.”

“Need a hand?” Yang said, grinning, and stepped inside proudly holding up her shoddily attached robotic arm. Though, it seemed, Blake was too busy concentrating on her book to notice. Yang awkwardly stood for a second before clearing her throat.

Just as Blake looked up from her reading the arm fell off and clanged as it hit the floor.

“Yang? What was that?”

“My arm.”

 _“What?”_ Blake put her book down, keeping a finger in between the pages.

Yang sheepishly bent down to pick it up. “Sun helped me re-attach it with bandages.” Blake blinked. “We messed up.”

“No kidding,” Blake said, looking Yang up and down.

“Am I bothering you?”

Blake shook her head. “No, why would you think that?”

“You’re reading...”

“Only because you weren’t here to keep me company,” Blake said, smiling.

Yang grinned and moved to sit on the side of the bed. “So what is it? You looked pretty into it.”

“It’s... nothing.”

“What? No way.” Yang put her arm down and leaned over. “It’s gotta be good, you couldn’t keep your eyes off it.”

“It’s just a book, Yang.” Blake looked… embarrassed. “Besides, you told me you don’t read.”

“Yeah, well I’ll reconsider if my girlfriend’s a bookworm.”

It had the desired effect. Blake froze. The perfect distraction. “Girlf-”

“Gotcha!” Yang snatched the book out of Blake’s hands, laughing.

“Yang!”

She struggled a bit with flicking through the pages with one hand. “Let’s see…”

“Yang, I’m serious, give it back!”

“ _‘Moaning in desperation, he took the lengt-’_ ” Yang paused and continued to skim read, blood rushing to her cheeks. “Blake, what is this?”

“Oh my god,” Blake murmured, sinking further under the covers.

“Is this a-” she started, turning the book over and examining the cover, “wow, okay, it is.”

“Yang…”

“Do you read this stuff all the time?”

Blake looked surprised at the question. “It’s one of my favourite series.”

Yang wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh really?”

“But no, I do read other things too. Not just this,” Blake argued, rolling her eyes.

Yang smirked and bent forward, stubbornly holding the book out of Blake’s reach. “Does reading it get you all hot and bothered?”

“Yang, stop it.”

“Or was it us kissing earlier that made you read it?” Yang teased, gradually leaning forward, eyes closed, comically puckering her lips.

She heard Blake let out a half-hearted laugh and then, quickly, the book was snatched out of her grasp. “You made me lose my page.”

Yang opened her eyes. “Wha- that’s all you care about?” She pouted. “Fine, if you’re goi-” Blake rolled her eyes and pulled Yang close enough to kiss her on the lips. For a second. Maybe less. At least not enough to satisfy Yang, just enough to shut her up.

After pulling away, Blake went straight back to reading, leaving Yang with nothing to do but stare at her.

Sliding down onto the floor beside the bed, Yang leaned her arm, and then her head on the mattress and watched Blake. That got boring fast, though she had to admit Blake’s concentration face was adorable. Her eyes would narrow. Her grip on the book would tighten when, Yang assumed, she got to a really good part. There was even a little crease between her eyebrows every time she had to turn a page.

Those eyebrows furrowed even more when Yang softly poked her in the upper arm. Then again. And then one more time.

Blake’s eyes never strayed from the page she was reading. “You’re such a child.” Yang stuck her tongue out. “Just let me finish this chapter.”

“You could read it to me.”

Blake flushed bright red. “I don’t know. It sounds... different when read aloud.”

“How different could it be? It’s just people fuc-”

“Yang!”

“You’re so cute,” Yang said, laughing.

Blake hid her face behind the book. _“Yang.”_

“Mhm?”

“Did you mean what you said? About being girlfriends.”

It was Yang’s turn to blush and avert her eyes. “Well… yeah. Unless you kissing me means you like me as a friend… which, I mean, I don’t know much about Faunus culture so tha-”

Blake shook her head. “It means the same thing.”

“Good to know,” Yang mumbled. Her face felt warm and she couldn’t look Blake in the eye. Nothing much had changed, but it felt like everything had.

“Will you sleep with me again tonight?” Blake suddenly asked, finally putting down the book.

Yang’s heart skipped. “Sure. That’s what girlfriends do.”

Blake chewed on her lip. “One more thing,” she said, sitting up. “There’s a book that I want to read to you.” Yang looked over to the pile on the table. “It’s on the top shelf in my room. The cover’s black and yellow. You’ll know it when you see it.”

Yang nodded. “I’ll be back in a sec!”

She hurried out of the room and down the hall, heart pounding. Blake really didn’t have to do much to turn Yang into a lovestruck mess.

The door to Blake’s room took a lot of force to slide open, and Yang had trouble doing it with just one arm. Stepping in, the room felt cold, the air thin.

The balcony door was ajar, allowing fierce wind left over from the storm to drift in. A particularly strong wind shook the glass, startling Yang just as she was leaning up to grab the book from the shelf above Blake’s bed. She shivered and pulled the book down, eager to leave.

Then she noticed it. The open drawer in the opposite bedside cabinet and the emptied contents strewn across the floor.

“What the hell?” she whispered, and crept around the bed to take a closer look.

Wishful thinking told her that it was just the wind, but her mind raced with other, different, more sinister explanations.

She bent down and the balcony door suddenly slammed closed, making her snap her head back up.

Nothing there.

Positively freaked out, Yang took the book and bolted, uneasy. She argued with herself all the way back to the guest bedroom over whether to tell Blake or not. With everything that was going on, she didn’t think she had it in her to let Blake know about her bedroom being broken into, or worse.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped in front of the door and shook her head a few times.

Decision made, she slid the door open and slipped inside, every single worry fading away as soon as she saw Blake’s smiling face.

She only hoped that smile would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! sorry for the lack of much plot in this chapter but it needed to be this way for the next chapter to work out.  
> anyway thank you to those still reading! (and those that comment... thank you so much! reading them always makes my day/week/life!!)
> 
> i hope you liked the chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

“Hey, you listening?”

Yang’s head was heavy and she was halfway back to sleep when Qrow asked the question. She lazily looked up at him. At least ninety eight percent of what he’d been explaining to her had gone straight over her head. But her pride wouldn’t let it show. “Yeah, sure, I’m listening.”

“Really? Because it looks like you’ve been fighting sleep for the past half hour.” He frowned. “You look like hell.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Should’ve got more sleep, kid.”

Yang groaned and fell forward.

She’d spent most of the night talking with Blake, reading with Blake, looking at Blake, kissing Blake... In short, Blake had successfully distracted her from the impending doom of the next day.

Of course, now it  _was_  the next day and Yang wasn’t prepared at all.

Even when she’d tried to get some sleep, thoughts of the mysterious scene in Blake’s room kept floating into her mind no matter what she did. Even now, sat with Qrow the next morning, it continued to haunt her. That difficult question of whether or not it was a big enough deal to tell Blake and her parents seemed to be at the very top of her priorities.

“Jeez,” Qrow muttered.

“What?”

“Quit drifting off.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m putting my ass on the line with this plan,” he said. “What we don’t need is you falling asleep and screwing it up.”

Yang made a face. “I’m gonna be chased by my sworn enemy and his posse of creeps. I don’t think I’m gonna have time to fall asleep.”

Qrow rubbed his temples. “I need a drink.”

He was so silent despite his size, the two of them didn’t notice when he entered the room. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Qrow shifted his eyes back and forth between him and Yang. “Yeah. There’s room for one more.”

Ghira crossed his arms and took a seat. “Your plan will not work.”

“I’m countin’ on it.”

“Not working?” Ghira asked, incredulous.

“If you knew me, you’d know I work best when I don’t have a plan,” Qrow explained.

Yang looked unimpressed. “What? Then what was the point in even having one?”

“It’s a precaution.”

“It’s  _way_  too early for this,” Yang groaned.

“You think I’d let my niece out there without a solid plan?” Qrow shook his head. “Your dad would kill me.”

“So what you’re saying is... if we mess this up, you’ll be able to fix it?”

“Should be.”

“She’ll still be in danger.” Ghira said, nodding to Yang.

“Not if I do my job.”

Palm sweaty, Yang felt fully awake for the first time that morning. There was a deep warmth in her stomach, rising to her chest. She was full of fire. Raring to go. “So what am I doing?” she asked.

Qrow raised an eyebrow and searched her face, smirking. “Finally awake, huh?” Yang said nothing and so, with a small sigh, Qrow reached into his pocket and took out a tiny, delicate looking earpiece. “All you’ve gotta do is put this in and listen to me.”

Yang picked it up. “ _Okay..._ ”

“I mean it. Listen to everything I say.”

“Okay, okay, jeez.”

“Where will you be while all of this is going on?” Ghira asked, looking just as unconvinced of the plan and as distrusting of Qrow as he had the day before.

“Living it up in a bar somewhere,” Yang said.

“Funny,” Qrow retorted, eyes narrow. “I’ll be right behind you, that’s all you’ve gotta know.”

Yang frowned. “You’re really sticking with the whole keeping me in the dark thing?”

“You’re talking too much when you should be listening,” he said, glaring at her. “I’m tryin’ to be discreet here.”

Ghira caught on. “We don’t know who could be listening.”

At first Yang thought the two of them were being dramatic, but the long pause that followed those ominous words took her mind back to the mess in Blake’s room. The open door. The emptied drawer. The gut wrenching feeling she’d had before she fled the room as quickly as she could.

She took a look at Ghira. He was sat with his arms crossed, brows furrowed, and the room was so quiet she could hear his heavy breathing. It seemed the perfect time to break the silence and tell him just what she suspected.

A noise outside broke through her thoughts and all three of them turned their attention to the door. Awkwardly, Sun pulled it open and grinned. “I can explain!”

“What is there to explain?” Ghira said, glowering.

"What do you want Sun?” Yang asked.

“Uh, well, I was thinking I could tag along!”

“This isn’t some kind of lighthearted road trip, pal,” Qrow interrupted.

“I know that! I was just... I wanna help, you know, in any way I can.”

Yang grimaced. “That’s nice and everything but there isn’t much you can do.”

“Sure there is! I could keep an eye on you and stuff.” He was doing his best to plead his case, falling flat on his face each time. “If you get hurt again, Blake’s gonna get hurt and that’s gonna hurt me!” Yang raised her eyebrows. “Wait, no, that came out wrong!”

“Make that  _two_  drinks,” Qrow muttered.

Thoughtful, Yang looked down at the earpiece in her hand. She closed her fingers around it and squeezed. “Sun, if you really wanna help, stay here with Blake.”

He looked like he was about to protest when she stared at him, eyes pleading, and he nodded. “Okay.”

Qrow didn’t waste much time in leaving, firing off his usual excuse and rushing out of the door. Yang watched him, riddled with anxiety. She was grateful for the adrenaline in her veins, less grateful for the churning of her stomach. Without much warning, she felt her heart fall right into it when she was clapped on the back by Ghira.

“Be careful,” he said. Simple enough, though it calmed Yang’s nerves enough for her to work up the courage to check in on Blake one last time.

How she’d ended up outside the room was a mystery even to her. For most of the morning she’d been in a daze, much to Qrow’s annoyance, with barely anything getting through to her. In her anxious state, she was led back to Blake, hoping for her newly appointed girlfriend to give her some relief.

She expected Blake to be reading, but when she cracked the door open after hearing no reply when she knocked, she was greeted by a peaceful, sleeping Blake. Curled up into a ball, the bed sheets tangled up in her legs.

Yang smiled and crept inside carefully. She’d been lying in that bed next to Blake not long ago, and the closer she got the more she wanted to climb back in again.

Blake’s feline ears twitched at Yang’s presence.

“Hey,” she said, rubbing her neck. She felt awkward to say the least. “I came to say bye.” Blake fidgeted in her sleep and let out a quiet sigh. Yang then let out her own sigh and turned back to the door. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

She’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t disappointed. She’d wanted to feel Blake hug her again, or kiss her cheek and tell her everything would work out. That’s what had happened for most of the night, but it wasn’t enough. Not when she was feeling as doomed as she was.

Something dark inside her told her it would be the last time she would see Blake as she made her way back to the door.

“Yang,” Blake murmured in a sleepy voice.

Yang twisted around to look at her, but from what she could tell Blake’s eyes were still tightly shut. Slowly, she moved back to the bed and pouted. “Are you asleep right now?”

Blake’s nose twitched and abruptly, she turned over. “Mm, Yang...”

Stifling a laugh, Yang shook her head. “Blake?” If she’d learnt anything from looking after Ruby most of her life, it was that waking people up sucked for everyone involved. This time, though, she couldn’t resist. She poked Blake’s shoulder, waited, then leaned down and shook it gently.

Blake awoke quickly, eyes wide, with a drawn out yawn. “Yang?”

“Nice dream?” she said, winking.

“I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Yeah, _sure_.”

Blake stretched out her arms. “I was waiting for you.”

“You’re gonna have to wait a little longer,” Yang replied, smile fading.

“Why? You’re here now,” Blake insisted.

“I have to go soon. Because... you know.”

Blake’s expression darkened. “Oh.”

“Wish me luck?” Yang said, grinning in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“I should be going with you.”

“This again?” Yang sighed. “I’ll be okay on my own. I’m a big girl.”

“I’m not doubting that,” Blake replied, “I’m the weak one.”

“What? There’s no way that’s true! Blake, you’re the strongest person I know! You’re amazing!”

Blake stared at her. “If that were true I wouldn’t be stuck here in bed while you put your life on the line for me.”

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true," Yang said quickly. "You've had to deal with this guy way longer than I have. Plenty of people would've given up, but you didn't. You're gonna see it through to the end."

"I didn't give up but I ran away." Blake looked down. "It's almost the same thing."

"You're not running away anymore." Yang sat on the edge of the bed. "You're giving everyone a hard time because you want to run  _into_  danger. That's not weak, Blake."

Blake smiled slightly. "Say it."

"What?"

"What you're thinking."

"Uh..."

"It's not weak but it's stupid. That's what you were going to say, right?"

Yang put on her best angelic smile. "Nope."

"Yes you were."

"Ugh, okay, fine." Yang lifted her hand to one of Blake's cat ears, softly rubbing it between her thumb and forefinger. "You're hurt, and I'd rather lose my other arm than watch him do that to you again."

"You don't mean that," Blake said, voice shaking.

Yang looked her in the eye before dramatically falling forward into a hug. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"Says  _you_ ," Blake muttered back, slipping her arms around Yang's back.

"I'm nowhere near as bad as you!"

"You're right. You're ten times worse." Blake laughed when Yang groaned. "But that's one of the many reasons why I love you." In that moment, Yang prayed Blake couldn't feel her heart pounding. They were pressed close enough together for Yang to feel every one of Blake's shallow breaths. And when Blake eventually said her name, breath hitting Yang's neck, she knew she was done for. "Was that too much?" Blake lifted one of her hands away from Yang's back, hesitant.

Eyes wide, Yang swiftly pulled herself out of the hug and sat back. She stared at Blake, with her long black hair tucked behind her ears, cascading down her back, curling at the ends and the light shade of red her cheeks had become, perfectly complimenting her pink lips that however much she tried, Yang could never keep her eyes off of. What Yang noticed most of all, though, was how embarrassed she looked, and her eyes looked sad, avoiding any direct contact with Yang's own.

Maybe Yang hadn't said enough about all of the little things she'd noticed about Blake, and the bigger things she loved that were so obvious that Yang couldn't figure out why Blake hadn't realised sooner that Yang was in love with her.

She'd  _only_  risked her life for her a couple of times.

Keeping a straight face wasn't easy for Yang, but still, she tried. Looking as serious as she could, she shuffled closer and took Blake's hand. Then, she lifted her gaze to Blake's eyes. "Tell me more about these many reasons why you love me..."

Eyes narrow, Blake pursed her lips. "Yang! I thought you were being serious!"

"What?!" She squeezed Blake's hand. "I am!"

Blake frowned. "I don't feel like telling you now."

"Oh yeah? Why not? Scared you're gonna lose to my epic list of reasons why I love you?" Blake's cheeks grew progressively pinker and Yang couldn't keep in her laughter. "Cat got your tongue, kittycat?"

"I thought I told you not to call me that."

"You love it! Is it on your list?" Yang teased.

"Definitely not."

Yang could only grin. "Then what is?"

"That."

"Hmm?"

"Your smile."

Yang immediately turned red and, trying to hide it, pulled Blake into another hug. Content, she felt Blake relax into her arms. "Remember the first time we met, before stuff got crazy, and you told me sometimes you forgot you could smile?"

"Mhm."

"Is that... still true?"

Blake was quiet for a moment, holding Yang tight. "How could it be when I have you here with me?" she whispered. "Yang, I've  _never_  been as happy as I am when I'm with you. It's... kind of impossible to forget."

Yang grimaced. "Even through all of this craziness?"

"Especially," Blake insisted. "I don't know if I'd have made it this far without you."

They pulled away reluctantly, both of them knowing what was coming and dreading it. To Yang, big goodbyes felt forced, and weren't usually her style. She was used to taking it easy, in all aspects of life. Even when she'd said goodbye to Ruby and their dad, she hadn't made a big deal out of it. It was just a word, and she knew she'd be coming back to them soon.

But with Blake, here and now, everything was less certain.

The uncomfortable feeling at the pit of her stomach had subsided during her talk with Blake, but it was returning, making her restless. Blake still had her eyes on her, hands cupped around Yang's left one.

"So this is goodbye, I guess."

"No." Blake shook her head. "Let's just say see you later." Yang bit her lip. "Because I  _will_  see you later."

Yang could tell Blake was trying to convince herself just as much as she was her. "Yeah, I'll see you later." Blake forced a smile, though her expression was tense. Yang really didn't want her to worry. She needed rest and she was probably certain that Yang hadn't noticed her wincing in pain every once in a while, but she had. "Do I get a goodbye kiss?"

"We just agreed not to use that word."

"Right," Yang said. "A see you later kiss? Is that a thing?"

"Probably not, but it works," Blake said, smiling.

As far as kisses go, it was short and sweet, but Blake's lips were as soft as ever. Yang made sure to keep her eyes closed even when she felt Blake slowly pull away, pouting when Blake laughed at her.

"I think I need another one."

"Later," Blake said with a laugh.

Yang managed to plant a quick kiss on Blake's cheek before leaving the room, laughing at the flustered look on her face. Then, with a final little wave, she slid the door closed and took a deep breath.

Sun, Kali and Ghira were waiting for her in the hall, each of them looking differing levels of nervous. Though Sun seemed the least worried, sending her a bright smile as soon as they locked eyes.

"We cleaned your bike up pretty good!" he said proudly.

Yang raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yep! I wanted to take it for a test drive but Mr B yelled at me."

"Do not call me that," Ghira said, stepping forward.

"He's warming up to me!"

Yang laughed. "Sure, Sun."

"Be careful out there," Kali said out of the blue, and gave her a quick hug.

"I'll be fine," she replied, smiling to hide the anxiety. "My uncle has my back."

"I'm not sure how I feel about him," Ghira said.

Kali playfully tapped his arm. "Oh dear, you're far too paranoid."

"I just don't want anyone getting hurt."

"I don't think anybody does," Kali said quietly.

Yang didn't say anything, but she could think of one particular person who wanted to cause pain. She bit her lip and said her goodbyes, forcing a promise out of Sun to keep a close eye on Blake, to never leave her side. She couldn't bring herself to say anything about what she'd seen in Blake's room. Kali and Ghira were already sick with worry, she could tell.

No, Sun would stay with Blake and protect her. That was one thing she could count on; how much he cared for Blake.

Weight off her shoulders, she made her way outside, fumbling around in her pocket for the earpiece. In one move, she pushed it inside her ear and hid it behind her hair.

Qrow was waiting outside, talking with two men. When he saw her, he nodded for them to leave. "You ready?"

"Totally." It was a lie.

Judging by Qrow's expression, he knew it too. "Everything's set up." He pointed to his ear. "You know what you're doing, right?"

"Listening to everything you say," she said, rolling her eyes. "I heard you the first time."

"Once they're onto you, let 'em chase you through those trees to the west of town. When you're outta the woods, you're in the desert, and that's where I'll be."

"I thought you said you'd be right behind me?"

"I have eyes everywhere, kiddo."

Yang frowned. "Right."

"Trust me?"

"I trust you."

"Good. Now get going."

Those words were all it took for her to freak out. Butterflies in her stomach, she headed off in the opposite direction, doing her best not to look  _too_  suspicious. She walked off the nerves along the same road she'd driven with Blake a few days ago, feeling better the further she went.

She could do this. There was nothing to be worried about.

The market was bustling as usual. The Faunus hadn't let the accident and the panic that it had caused take over their lives. Everything seemed back to normal, which made Yang  _acting_  normal much easier.

She was turning a corner, dodging through busy Faunus when she first heard a crackle in her ear. Frowning, she put her hand over the earpiece in order to hear better. Expecting to hear Qrow's voice, she dropped her hand down and carried on as normal.

A while later, after hanging around the market for a few minutes, she was starting to grow impatient. The thought that maybe Adam really was finished with her came to mind. Perhaps he'd left the island, convinced that he'd killed Blake and that he had no other use in tormenting Yang. He'd done enough.

The earpiece crackled another three times, each time leaving Yang nervous. Why hadn't Qrow said anything yet?

It was fine.

She told herself that over and over, clenching her fist by her side. The combination of unwanted glances at her stump and the building tension she felt from the wait were getting worse as time went on. She was alone, waiting to run for her life. Again.

She frowned and kept up the act, pretending to look around the market.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what she'd been waiting for. One of the fox Faunus from the other day, hooded and looking much too conspicuous. He wanted her to see him. He was in plain sight, stood between two crowds.

The earpiece crackled. "That's one of the sons of bitches." Yang, startled by Qrow's voice, nodded. "Wait it out."

Wait it out? Yang balled her fist. Sure, that was okay for him to say. She was the one in danger, staring off some weirdo in a hood, totally defenceless.

A few Faunus passed in front of her, blocking her view. Annoyed, she squinted and tried to peek through them.

Eventually they moved, and he was gone.

Sweating, Yang panicked and moved into the crowd. Maybe she could get lost for a while, confuse the enemy. Hide.

The earpiece crackled. "What happened?" She couldn't reply. Instead, she shuffled further into the sea of Faunus. "Hey, you forgetting that you wanna be seen?"

He was right, and she wasn't happy about it. So, she reluctantly escaped the crowd and walked out into the open again. It was sweltering and obnoxiously loud. Her head was spinning, adrenaline pumping through her legs. Telling her to run for it. Now.

She turned around a few times, searching her surroundings for any sign of the fox Faunus.

No sign.

Then, dizzy, she took another turn and came face to face with him.

"Run!" Qrow urged through the earpiece, but she was already off, flying through the crowd at breakneck speed, bumping into angry Faunus left and right.

Her jaw was clenched, every muscle tense. Not once did she look back. She had to get out of town, into the woods, through to the desert.

Panic soon made her lose her bearings. She skidded to a stop, unsure whether she was even being chased.

Two roads lay before her.

"Go left," Qrow's voice came through.

So she did, no question. Breathing heavily, she raced by house after house, braving a quick glance over her shoulder when she caught sight of a line of trees in the distance.

There was nobody there.

Equal parts confused and angry, Yang came to a stop at the edge of the woods. She waited for something. For Qrow's voice, for a gunshot, for the creepy fox Faunus. Anything would do.

Every nerve in her body was atingle, heart pounding. Something moved far in the distance, along the road she'd already run down. She took a deep breath, and a shot fired.

A small group of men appeared on the horizon, guns out, hot on her heels. The fox Faunus was among them.

As was Adam.

He was dressed in the same dark clothes, holding the same sword he'd used to stab Blake. Oddly, he looked in no hurry to catch her. He was simply walking, casually, his men behind him.

Yang shot off into the trees, along the dirt path, stumbling over roots and rocks. She almost fell when another shot fired, coming nowhere near her.

"They've always been lousy shots," Qrow's gruff voice said in her ear.

"Not a good time," Yang said through clenched teeth, knowing he couldn't hear her. She narrowly avoided a low hanging branch, painfully twisting her knee as she ducked out of the way. A snarl of pain escaped her, and she slowed down for a moment, out of breath.

The trees stretched on forever. Leaves and branches obscured her vision. She pressed on, thighs burning. She held out her left arm, pushing away anything that would block her way. Another gunshot echoed through the air, a way off, motivating her to push herself harder.

The sounds of the men chasing her, rustling, the thump of their footfall. That was all she could hear as she flew through the trees. One more shot fired, closer this time. It tore through a branch, which cracked and fell just behind her.

Up ahead of her, the already treacherous path fell into a steep slope, strewn with jagged rocks and fallen trees. She had no time to stop her momentum before falling and sliding down onto her back. 

She groaned in pain as she fell, catching her side on a rock, tasting blood in her mouth. Rolling over rotted leaves and roots that grabbed onto her. She dug her feet into the undergrowth, slowing herself slightly. Able to catch her breath, she controlled the rest of her descent. She was bleeding and her hair was in her face, yet she could still hear them tailing her.

No other shots fired. Not once. Not for a while.

Standing, Yang looked ahead. Finally, the trees were thinning out. The ground had been swallowed by sand. Leaves were still covering it here and there, but Yang knew she was close. The desert was right in front of her, just like Qrow had said.

There was loud rustling and boisterous yelling from the very top of the slope. Yang looked up. Adam was ordering his men to go before him, pointing at her with his sword. She didn't stop for long. She could barely see them anyway. It would take them a while to make their way down the slope. She hoped.

On the run again, she put her hand against her side, pulling it back to reveal blood. The wound stung every time she took a step.

Running on sand wasn't easy.

Trees started disappearing as she ran, until the path opened up into nothing. Nothing but vast desert. Yang twisted and looked around, taking small steps forward, bewildered. Qrow and his men were meant to be here, waiting for her. That was the plan.

A light wind blew, throwing sand up and around her. She wanted nothing more than to fall forward and lie there for a moment, but right now she was too angry and confused.

There was sand for miles, a tree here and there, and the sun beating down on all of it. A sand dune sat right in front of her, and to both sides there was nothing.

Exhausted, Yang kicked at the sand and kneeled down to check her injured side just as the fox Faunus, followed by two men with guns came out of the trees, slowly creeping up on her.

Yang jumped to her feet as quickly as she could, staring all three of them down. But they didn't come anywhere near her. They kept their distance, holding their guns to the ground.

All was silent. And then Adam came out.

He walked towards her without a word. Yang scowled and stepped back, ready to fight him if need be. That wasn't what he wanted though.

Because it wasn't Adam.

Whoever it was looked just like him, down to the red hair and the black clothes. Yang shook her head, stepping back further. She'd been tricked. They'd all been tricked.

"Where the hell is he?" she demanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for hurting yang yet again. i hate doing it but i always do it anyway? i'm so sorry.
> 
> hope you liked the chapter despite that! <3


	16. Chapter 16

Blake flashed through Yang’s panicked mind more times than she could count.

As Yang stood there, staring down the men across from her, the sun beating down hard on her back, she wondered if that feeling she’d had earlier was right. The one that made her stomach knot and her eyes sting with unshed tears. The one that told her this was it - she’d never see Blake ever again.

That wouldn’t stop her from trying to get back to her. Blake needed help and Yang wasn’t about to give up now.

She’d admit to herself that she was at an unfair disadvantage. The girl with one arm and a bleeding slash in her side or the group of men before her, armed with guns and a sword. It was obvious how it would go, how it  _should_  go, but Yang had faced greater odds and won. Her still being alive was testament to that.

For a split second, the earpiece came to life with white noise before it died again, letting Yang know for certain that she was on her own.

She took a long look at the gunmen. There were two far to her right, another one behind the Adam decoy and one to the left, looking clueless with his gun tilted towards the ground.

A good target.

Yang flew off in his direction, sand swallowing her feet as she struggled her way towards him. A gun fired from behind her, the bullet embedding itself in the sand only a foot away. Frustrated, she pushed herself harder, stumbling over to the anxious gunman. He did nothing but watch her, fumbling with his gun. Everything about his expression told her he wouldn’t dare shoot at her.

The same couldn’t be said for the other three gunmen, who were clumsily trying to reload in the heat of the moment.

Grabbing the gun, Yang twisted the man’s arm until he relented and let her take it. He whimpered and stood back, falling over himself and back into the warm sand, grabbing handfuls of it as he shuffled away.

The others took three more shots at her feet before she realised what they were doing. They weren’t trying to kill her, they were trying to stop her, scare her.

They didn’t.

The only thing it did do was tell her all she needed to know; Adam wanted her alive. And that gave her permission to be as reckless as she needed to be.

Knowing they couldn’t kill her, she stood perfectly still, conserving her energy and waiting for them to attack.

It didn’t take long. One of the men to her left threw down his gun, muttering a string of cuss words. Then, he stormed forward, meaning to grab Yang by the shoulder. The other followed suit, rushing forward, but before either of them could take a hold of her, Yang kneed one of them between the legs before bashing the other in the face with the gun. The former fell to the ground, wailing in pain, rolling himself further into the sand while the other staggered backwards.

Blood dripped into sand. Yang couldn’t say if it was her own or not but the sharpness of the pain in her side was getting worse.

The man left standing said something she couldn’t hear, words muffled by his hand as he held it to his mouth and nose. Yang had no time to dodge when he lunged at her again, throwing away his own gun in exchange for his fists. They were more effective, and his left fist collided with Yang’s stomach, winding her.

The world blurred and she desperately gulped in breaths, haphazardly dodging his next attacks. She had no choice but to drop the gun and hope one arm was better than nothing. He threw another punch, which she caught with her left hand, squeezing and pushing him away.

She was so busy fending the first man off she hadn’t noticed the fox Faunus creeping up behind her, or the last gunman aiming at her from afar.

In a quick move, she pulled the first man right in front of her, just in time for him to catch the bullet that fired, shielding Yang but startling them both. He cried in pain and Yang let go of him, watching him fall onto the sand. The bullet had only grazed his leg, but another was on the way.

The gunshot was loud, yet came nowhere near Yang, who was now in the fox Faunus’ surprisingly strong grip. Calmly, he hooked his arm around her neck and held her steady in a headlock, his other hand holding her wrist.

Trapped, Yang gritted her teeth and used as much strength as she could to try and free her arm from his grasp. She huffed under her breath while he was silent. Always silent. Even when she kicked back at his shins and forced him to falter.

The next gunshot was the distraction she needed.

The fox Faunus turned his head, allowing her to headbutt him with the back of her head, twist his arm up and slide out of his grip.

A small cloud of sand rose into the air as the wind blew and Yang took it as an advantage. As soon as she’d escaped him, she twisted back around and threw a punch at his face. He dodged easily, moving to the side, ducking down and throwing sand in her direction.

He dodged her next four punches, which were admittedly getting progressively clumsier the angrier she got.

Letting out a frustrated groan, she rushed forward, hand in a tight fist, and managed to land a punch right in the centre of his right palm.

If she had her prosthetic she could have sucker punched his ass back to town. But she didn’t. And so, he countered by pushing her back, simultaneously surprising and angering her.

He didn’t see her as a threat, but he was  _dead_  wrong.

A roar rumbled in Yang’s chest. She flew forward, jaw clenched, each muscle as hard as rock, aiming for his chest. Again he dodged, expressionless. She tried and tried again, missing every single time.

The Adam decoy, who hadn’t uttered a word or even moved a muscle since the fight had broken out, finally walked forward, oddly calm. He watched them stumble around each other, Yang’s frustrated grunts carrying away on the wind.

After a moment, he threw his sword down into the sand. It shook back and forth from the impact, half of the blade stuck in the ground.

“Enough,” he ordered. “He’s waiting.”

Yang wasn’t aware of the remaining gunman behind her until he grabbed both of her shoulders, pulling her backwards and out of the fight. The fox Faunus nodded, pulling his hood over his head and gesturing back into the trees.

Yang tried to pry herself free from the man’s tight grip but her disadvantage finally caught up with her. He swung an arm around her neck and held the gun close, forcing her to walk forward.

She had no choice but to do as she was told, however angry she was about it. There was no doubt in her mind that she could have beaten them if only she had both arms. That was the worst part. Knowing she could have won. That, and knowing that if she  _had_  won, she might have been able to escape and save Blake.

Shadows passed over them as they made their way back into the trees. Yang stumbled a few times, causing the man to painfully thrust the gun into her side. She saw red out of the corner of her eye and looked down at herself. She was covered in blood, the wound in her side biting with every step she took.

They wandered into a thicker part of the woods, almost all of the sunlight shaded by large trees. Yang tried to move her hand down to put pressure on her injured side when the earpiece crackled and a familiar voice rang in her ear.

“Hang in there, firecracker.”

Yang frowned, discreetly tilting her head, shifting her eyes from tree to tree, searching for any sign of her uncle or his men. She saw nothing, no one.

It crackled again, not ten seconds afterwards, but this time it was a different voice. “Hey, Yang, we have a problem! Like, a really big one!” It was Sun, his voice panicked, and Yang swore she could hear other voices muffled, though no less anxious, in the background.

Yang’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Blake. It had to be about Blake. She clenched her jaw.

White noise buzzed through the earpiece. Qrow spoke again, but his voice sounded strange and distant, as if Yang was underwater and he was calling out to her. Then, all of a sudden, the earpiece went silent.

Yang felt sick to her stomach, smouldering with anger, desperate to find Adam and finally put an end to his hold over their lives.

Blake didn’t deserve this. She deserved love and happiness and safety, hugs, kisses, all the books she could ever read - stuff that Yang would do anything to give her.

A single tear stung at the corner of Yang’s eye, which she swiftly blinked away and carried on moving forward.

If these men wanted to take her to Adam, she’d let them. She’d let them believe she was defeated. She’d let them underestimate her, then bring the inferno.

It was difficult to keep the fire inside as she was strung along, lost in the trees, unaware of her surroundings. They seemed to have been walking for miles, on a specific path that the fox Faunus was consciously making sure to follow. They never strayed far from the desert, using the trees to shield themselves from the sun.

Soon they stumbled upon a clearing that led back out into the heat of the desert. Yang noticed the fox Faunus send a signal to the others and she was finally freed from the gunman’s grip. The gun, however, didn’t move. He shoved it into her back and prodded her forward. Yang thought about turning on him now that she had a free hand, but decided to bide her time.

She took painful steps forward in the sand, never looking back. For as far as she could see, there was sand. Dunes rose and fell but the sand was constant. On the horizon, she could make out an unnatural shape, standing out from the flatness of the desert. She squinted, managing to see what looked like a large triangular shape sticking out of the sand.

As the distance between Yang, and what she now realised had to be a tent, shortened, she started breaking into a sweat, the wound in her side aching with each step. She could hear the mutters of the men behind her, the silence that followed and the erratic beat of her heart.

The fox Faunus stepped out in front of her, leading them forward silently. When they eventually arrived on the outskirts of the crude little camp, Yang widened her eyes in horror.

At least half of Qrow’s men were lying on the ground, hands bound, their guns nowhere to be seen. The sand was stained red with blood in places, and every single one of the men had visible injuries.

Yang had no time to take everything in before the was pushed forward with the end of a gun, tripping and falling to her knees. She grunted and turned her head, receiving a sharp glare from her captor.

All was silent, except for the faint sound of the warm breeze hitting Yang's skin. Sand flew through the air, and a shadow fell across the ground.

Adam stepped out of the tent, stopped, and said something, tilting his head to side. Yang saw movement inside the tent and despite herself, tried to stand and launch herself at the monster in front of her. She couldn't even move a muscle before she was roughly pulled back down to her knees.

Breathing heavily, she was forced to watch as Blake obeyed Adam's orders and feebly walked into the light. She was gagged, her hands and legs bound with rope. Barely able to move, she fell down easily when Adam grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground.

"Blake!" In that moment, Yang didn't care about what they did to her. If they shot her if she attempted to get up, or if they took her other arm,  _killed_  her, she wouldn't let Adam do anything else to harm Blake.

She held back tears, locking eyes with Blake, who only shook her head and lowered her eyes.

"You thought you could ambush me in the one place that has ever felt like a home?" Adam asked, shaking his head. "Blake wouldn't have told you, but I did live here, once."

"Big deal!" Yang snarled. "Let her go!"

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?" He held out his hand, keeping both eyes on Yang, and the Adam decoy from before handed over the sword. "This time I'll watch her die." He unsheathed the sword slowly, torturing the both of them. "I should have known better than to leave it to chance."

Simmering with anger, Yang took a look behind her. The men who had captured her seemed to be the only ones Adam had. She was still outnumbered, but if she could use the tent and the few stacks of crates scattered about the camp to her advantage, she could stand a chance.

Adam finally held the sword out towards Blake, taking her by the chin and forcing her to look up at him. He opened his mouth an-

Yang used all of the strength in her legs to jump to her feet, catching the gunman behind her off guard, swinging around and kicking his legs out from under him. Bullets burst from his gun as he fell to the ground, disorientated.

The two gunmen from earlier didn't waste any time in racing forward towards Yang. Adam yelled orders, and Yang grinned. She'd distracted him. Good.

Now it was time to kick butt.

The first gunman clumsily fired his gun her way. She dodged, twisting her side and groaning in pain. The other, taking advantage, rounded on her from behind and restrained her arm.

If he thought that would stop her...

Yang used her right side to gain momentum and swung the man around, making him drop his gun and collide with the other gunman who had been too busy reloading to notice. The two of them fell backwards, propelled by a swift kick from Yang.

Once they were taken care of, Yang turned her attention to the fox Faunus and the last gunman. The nervous man from earlier. He didn't look any less terrified, attempting to hide himself behind a crate.

She caught her breath, took a glance back at Adam and Blake, widening her eyes.

"Stay the hell away from her!" Yang screamed, eyeing the sword to Blake's throat. She needed to run forward and pummel into Adam, but the distraction had cost her her freedom. Held back by the fox Faunus once again, Yang struggled against him, desperate. "Get away from her!"

Adam was emotionless, caressing Blake's cheek with his free hand. "My darling Blake." The Faunus girl tried to speak, voice muffled. "You know I like it when you fight."

Yang fought against the tight grasp on her, tearing up. "Let her go now!"

"This will be the last time you betray me," Adam whispered in Blake's ear, slowly sliding the blade further up, forcing Blake's head back. Warm tears streamed down Yang's cheeks and made her vision blurry.

Blurry enough that she didn't notice the meek gunman hiding by the crate to her left get dragged, incredibly quickly, behind it.

Adam continued his taunts, dragging out the pain. Yang could hear Blake's sounds of protest and fear above everything else. She hadn't stopped trying to free herself. She wouldn't.

Just then, as Yang charged forward once more, only to be dragged back, a bullet fired from the other side of the camp, up into the air. Adam, looking caught off guard for once, turned his head.

In a cloud of sand, Sun and Ghira appeared from the left and right of the stack of crates, just in time to apprehend the two gunmen Yang thought she'd defeated before.

Bullets flew, as did punches. Sun flew around his opponent, landing a kick here and there, while Ghira's man was no match for him. Yang watched in awe as Blake's father demolished the gunman in one punch, throwing him back into one of the crates.

The fox Faunus' grip tightened, hauling Yang backwards. He crooked his hand around her neck while the other held her arm still. She coughed and spluttered as he dug his fingers in, a silent rage in every movement.

Yang shook her head back and forth, making it harder for him to hold her. Quickly, she spun away as soon as his grasp loosened and turned, uppercutting him, spinning away from his next attack, before elbowing him in the stomach. His recovery was fast, coming at her with both fists. Yang jumped away. Dodged his precise moves. Blocked a punch to the face with the back of her hand.

He was quick, agile. But so was Yang.

Five more strong punches were dodged by Yang. Every sound around her blended into one as she tried to overcome her disability. He lunged again, finally landing a punch to her jaw. Yang tasted the metallic taste of blood and skidded backwards in the sand. Adam yelled behind her. Ghira too. She saw Sun run by out of the corner of her eye. She heard...

Blake's voice.

Ignoring the throbbing of her jaw, Yang turned her head and moved around, dodging more attacks. Blake was free, fighting her own battle with Adam.

That was when she saw Qrow, holding the nervous gunman with a gun to his head. Adam looked unimpressed, holding his sword at his side.

Yang wanted to storm over there and grab him herself. But she was having her own trouble.

She turned back to her own fight, throwing herself into it. She yelled and smashed through his defence with her left fist, jumping into a kick which he easily dodged, then, enraged, she threw another punch at his face. A loud crunch told her she'd hit the mark. Still, she didn't have mercy. He held both his fists to his face, blood pouring, but Yang went straight for his chest, sending him reeling backwards into the sand.

Ghira finished off his opponent with a punch to the gut. Surprisingly, Sun had pulled his weight too and left the now disarmed gunman sprawled across the ground. He looked over at her and flashed a smile, giving her a thumbs up.

Yang hurried over to Blake, who swiftly reached for her hand and pulled her close. Qrow then earned her attention, ordering Adam to stand down.

"It's over, Taurus," Qrow said, looking him up and down. "Put that thing down before you hurt yourself."

Adam glanced over at Blake. "It's only just begun." Then, he whistled, and five more of his men burst free from the inside of the tent.

Qrow swore under his breath and threw his hostage down. "It didn't have to come to this," he managed to say, readying his gun.

"You and I both know that it did," Adam said.

The words left his mouth and the fight began, Ghira taking on three men at once, Sun dodging a bullet by diving behind one of the empty crates. Yang and Blake in the middle of it all.

"Yang, I-"

"I'm  _really_  hoping this is the last time we have to run away from these freaks!" Yang interrupted, squeezing Blake's hand and dragging her over to the tent. "Blake, c'mon!"

The two of them escaped, Qrow sending Yang a nod as he advanced on Adam. They burst into the tent, catching their breath, both exhausted and in pain. But, like there always seemed to be, there was no time to lose. Yang looked around, searching for a weapon, or something they could  _make_  into a weapon. There wasn't much in the tent. Just a bed, two stacks of crates and a chest full of clothes. Yang kicked it in frustration, the sounds of gunfire and shouts from outside making her desperate to go back out and help.

Blake glanced around too, eventually settling her gaze on Yang. "Yang, you're bleeding."

Yang shrugged. "That's kind of a normal thing for me these days."

Blake looked down, thoughtful, then widened her eyes. "What's that? Under the bed?" She tried to bend down, but her injured side caused her too much pain.

"It's okay, I'll get it," Yang said, leaning down and rummaging around underneath the bed. She frowned when she grabbed a hold of something. Pulling back her arm revealed a baseball bat. Beaten up and dented.

"Is that what I think it is?" Blake asked.

"I dunno. Maybe?" Yang held it up. "Why'd he keep it? It doesn't exactly hold good memories for him."

"He probably has a plan for it," Blake said. "He always has a plan." Yelling drifted in from outside, the tent flaps whipped around by the wind.

Yang nodded. "Yep, he definitely has a plan." She test swung it clumsily with her left hand. "Uh... still not used to this."

"Then I'll do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"It might not work."

"Mhm. All of our other plans haven't."

"Know where to hit him?" Yang teased.

Blake grimaced. "There's a few places I can think of."

"Let's go with that," Yang said, handing Blake the bat. "I'll be your backup, baby!" Smiling, she leaned over and kissed Blake's cheek. "Let's do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a sucker for cliffhangers if you hadn't noticed already. i was pretty dang nervous about this chapter but... yep. i hope you liked it!


	17. Chapter 17

They both stared at each for a moment, forgetting all about the carnage going on outside of the safety net of the tent. A gunshot rang out not far off, snapping Yang out of it. She did her usual routine of grinning and acting tough, Blake not so convinced.

“How do we do this?” she asked, eyes to the ground.

Yang watched her, shrugging. “We could start by sneaking out the ba-” Just as Yang took a step towards the back of the tent, one of Adam’s men threw open the flaps and charged in, gun held out in front of him. “Or not.” Yang, whose only instinct was to shield Blake, held up her arm in mock surrender, putting herself in front of her girlfriend.

Blake was about to speak, discreetly hiding the baseball bat behind her back, when another of Adam’s men entered the opposite side of the tent, trapping them.

They were done for.

Or so it seemed until Blake’s intense gaze told Yang she had an idea. Clueless, Yang gave a little nod and turned, while the two men slowly crept towards them, fencing them in.

Blake moved back. Yang moved back. Eventually they were back to back, close enough to touch one another, and close enough to agree on an unsaid plan. Yang nodded, turning her head and shifting her eyes back and forth between Blake and the man closing in on her. He had a smirk on his face that Yang’s fist itched to punch off. As he came closer, so did the man on Blake’s side.

It just so happened the man trapping Blake was much more of a loudmouth. “Get back!” he kept yelling, and so they did. Both of the girls took a deep breath, waiting for the exact moment to- “Put the weapon down!” the man ordered.

“ _What?_  Blake, you have a weapon?!” Yang said dramatically, twisting around to look Blake in the eye. Blake turned too, just enough to let the man believe she was vulnerable. Yang winked. Blake smirked. “You could’ve told me!” Both men stupidly hurried towards them, thinking they were distracted.

Yang swung around just in time to smash her fist into the man’s face. Blake did the same with the bat, a loud _crack_  filling up the tent as she sent the other man tumbling to the ground.

Yang’s man lay on the floor, dizzy, holding a hand to his face. Taking a look down at him, Yang raised both eyebrows and turned to Blake. “Okay. That was  _awesome_.”

“Mhm. We make a good team.”

“I could’ve told you that  _months_  ago,” Yang said, grinning.

“Let’s get out of here,” Blake suggested, glancing down at the two men. “Before they wake up.”

“Yours is out cold,” Yang pointed out, whistling.

“ _Yang._ ” Blake was already by the back entrance of the tent, holding the flaps open with the baseball bat. “Come on.”

Yang wanted to laugh at Blake’s stern expression, but gave in and made for the exit. Blake seemed nervous, understandably, and the last thing Yang wanted to do was make it worse.

They crept over the sand, shielded from the sun by the looming shadow of the tent. Crouching down, Blake turned to Yang, who swiftly nodded and bent down beside her.

“Can you distract him?” Blake asked.

Yang blinked a few times. "We’re both still alive so I’m gonna go ahead and guess that Qrow’s doing a pretty good job.” She nodded. “I guess the gun helps.”

“No offense,” Blake began, cringing, “but I trust you more than your uncle.”

"Aww, really?”

“Yes, really! You’re my girlfriend and- what are you smiling at?”

Fanning herself, Yang stifled a laugh. “Blake, you’re t-” She caught sight of one of the remaining gunmen just as he spotted her, yelling out words that couldn’t be heard above the gunfire. In the midst of his fight with Ghira and Sun, he sped off at a run towards them both. “Blake, this way!” Yang grabbed her free hand and whisked her away behind a nearby stack of crates, diving to avoid a bullet and catching Blake as the two of them fell. “Man, I’m  _so_  over being interrupted,” Yang mumbled, holding Blake close to her chest. “You okay?”

“Fine,” came Blake’s muffled voice. Then, she raised her head, warm breath on Yang’s face. Another bullet fired straight into the crate, startling the both of them. “What should we do?”

“What else? We beat the guy up!”

“But we can’t get close enough to him to do that,” Blake whispered, her free hand absentmindedly stroking Yang’s collarbone.

“Blake, hello? We’re a team, partners… y’know? We can do this.” She straightened up a little and smiled. “I’ll go out there and distract the guy and you knock him out before he shoots me.”

Blake widened her eyes. “No pressure…” She sighed, looking Yang in the eyes. “Be careful, okay? Please.”

"Blake, relax. I'll be fine! Promise," Yang reassured her, smiling.

“I hope you’re right,” Blake murmured and pushed herself to her knees, ducking down so the gunman couldn’t see her. She was about to turn and speak to Yang, but she was already in the gunman’s sights, running his way, totally defenceless.

He shot, missed and Yang skidded in the sand to dodge another bullet.

Blake’s heart skipped as she watched. Jumping to her feet, she heard another two gunshots from the other side of the camp, followed by Sun yelling and a deafening crash.

Yang, burning bright in the corner of Blake’s eye line, taunted the gunman, coercing him to catch her. Blake grimaced and shuffled her way along to the crate opposite her, keeping low.

After a few seconds of unsuccessful attempts, Yang glanced at Blake before giving a little nod and flying, fist first, at the man. He dropped his gun from the impact of Yang’s punch, the weapon settling in the sand as the two of them stepped away from each other.

Muttering indistinguishable words, he dropped to his knees, one hand cradling his bloody face, the other scrambling around for his gun. Turning her back to him for a split second, Yang rushed forward, intending to kick the gun away, but he was too fast. Using his advantage from below, he kicked Yang’s legs out from under her.

She fell. Hard. And he was able to grab a hold of the gun.

He launched himself at her, gripping tightly onto her arm and hauling her to her feet. His finger was on the trigger, his eyes on hers. Yang let him pull her to her feet before she attacked again, eyes wandering to the black shape moving swiftly to her left. Blocking his next attack, she spun out of his grip and pushed away his next attempt to land a punch.

Losing patience, Yang kicked him backwards, uppercutting him and landing one more punch in the centre of his chest. Dazed, he fell backwards, accidentally firing the gun at the ground.

“Too easy,” Yang said, grinning and shaking her fist. Then she turned around, searching the camp, eyes narrow. “Hey, Blake? Where’d you go?” Worried, she took a step forward. “Blake?”

“Yang! Duck!” Blake warned, appearing from behind a nearby crate, racing forward, baseball bat at the ready. All in what felt like a split second, Yang ducked, Blake advanced, a gun fired and a loud  _thwack_ , followed by something falling rang out across the camp.

Eyes wide, Yang twisted to look behind her. Blake stood, bat resting on her shoulder, gazing down at her handiwork. Which happened to be a very unconscious gunman - without a gun and with a newly misshapen nose.

“Are you okay?” Blake asked, not even looking at Yang.

Yang stayed silent for a second, staring at Blake in awe. Without restraint, she beamed and sprang to her feet. “Looks like you really hit it off!”

“What?” Blake blurted, snapping her head around. “Are you really making a pun at a time like this?”

Yang laughed and moved close enough to touch Blake on the shoulder. “Thanks for saving my butt.”

"Don't make me regret it," Blake replied, playfully narrowing her eyes before smiling. Her gaze flitted down to Yang's lips for a second, but before she could make Yang's heart race by leaning in, there was a quick burst of gunfire from the other side of camp. Both of them turned, frantic, but the tent was blocking any view they might have. "Dad... Sun, they're in trouble!"

Yang clenched her fist. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Weaving in and out of crates, sliding in sand, the two of them rushed their way towards the shouting, an odd bullet being fired every so often. Blake was ahead of Yang, armed with the baseball bat, and more than ready to use it. Yang, though, had nothing but her fist. She felt weak, in more ways than one. Her side still bled, and it was only the impulse to protect Blake that had kept her from collapsing. In some strange way, it seemed now that the pain was keeping her going.

Blake came across the sight first, coming to a stop and yelling Adam's name. Yang stopped behind her, scowling, heart pounding, blood boiling.

Sun was laying on the ground, completely still. Ghira, though, had managed to stand his ground. It was what was to be expected of a man his size. He had one man by the throat, holding him up in the air, fending off the second man with his other hand.

While this was going on, Adam had Qrow cornered, sword held to his throat, looming over him like a shadow.

Yang panicked, both desperate to put herself between the monster and her uncle and to check on Sun. Blake yelled Adam's name again, running into the centre of the conflict.

Adam made no move, acting as if they weren't even there.

Qrow was bleeding from a deep cut on his forehead, his gaze dazed and woozy as he looked over at Yang, wincing when Adam pressed the blade further into his skin. Turning his head ever so slightly, Qrow gave Yang a signal, pointedly staring at something half buried in the sand.

It was his gun.

Determined, Yang nodded his way and glanced at Blake, who Yang could tell was close to throwing herself into the fight with Ghira. Yang looked this way and that, wary of Adam and his unpredictable nature. What would he do if she ran over and snatched up the gun? What did he have planned? Blake had said he always had a plan. Everything Yang had seen so far did nothing to disprove that.

Overwhelmed, Yang had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it. Qrow groaned in pain, and that was it. Despite her head screaming at her not to, she sprang into action and took long, hurried strides over to the gun, quickly grabbing it. Aiming it at the back of Adam's head, she heard Blake shout something.

That was when she was grabbed from behind, by a much stronger and rougher grip than the other men. It felt like more than two hands, it was so fast. A hand around her throat, pulling her back. A hand on her arm, painfully forcing her to lower the gun. Another hand jabbing her in the side.

Adam continued to torment Qrow. Blake tried to rush forward, screaming Yang's name.

Ghira's loud roar interrupted the noise, and the man he'd been holding was launched through the air, smashing into the side of a crate, splintering the wood. Now it was one on one. Blake swung around and looked on in shock as the gun was ripped from the remaining man's grip in one strong swing. Then, Ghira kicked him backwards in what looked like a casual move. The man's head went limp, along with the rest of his body, before he fell to the ground, unmoving.

Heart pounding in her ears, making her fall into a daze, Yang used the limited room she could move to bury her elbow into her attacker's stomach, prodding it back over and over. The exertion made her lose grip on the gun and it fell, which must have been her opponent's intention all along, because as soon as she did, they relented and let her go. It took her a few seconds to realise it was the fox Faunus suddenly standing in front of her, bending down to pick the gun up, the same infuriating calmness in his every move.

By no means ready to give up, even with the prospect of being shot point-blank staring her right in the face, Yang lifted her fist, tension building in every muscle.

The fox Faunus walked away before Yang could bring her attack forward.

Bewildered, she whipped her head around, staring at him as he walked over to where Adam now had Qrow by the collar, the sword no longer pressed against his throat. He was simply being held prisoner, but the darkness Yang saw in Adam's eyes and the way his mouth turned up ever so slightly at the sides, told her the peace wouldn't last long. Mercy just wasn't Adam's style. Torture was.

That's what he was doing, threatening Yang without saying a word, testing her.

All of a sudden, Blake's voice cried out from behind. Yang turned just in time to catch a glimpse of one remaining gunman hidden, badly, behind a broken stack of crates. His face was caked in dried blood, the gun in his shaking hands pointed towards Sun.

Blake ran towards him, hands clenched tightly around the baseball bat. The man panicked, raising the gun. Yang tried to scream out Blake's name, but nothing came. Her throat burned, and the image of Blake getting hurt yet again burnt itself into her mind.

Ghira, who was standing a way off to the side, yelled Blake's name, storming forward after his daughter, large arms outstretched.

He wasn't quick enough.

The gunman pulled the trigger and the gunshot rang out. Yang covered one of her ears, wincing, gritting her teeth. She couldn't bring herself to turn, the ringing in her ears bringing on nausea. She could faintly hear a struggle, shouting and a dull thud. Lowering her hand, she shook her head, glancing up at Adam and Qrow. They couldn't have looked any different if they tried. Adam's smile grew into a grin. Qrow's nostrils were flared and he attempted to tear himself away from his captor, only to have his other arm grabbed by the fox Faunus.

Yang's hearing came back to her, though as soon as it did she wished it hadn't.

"Dad!" Blake was repeating, over and over again. " _Dad!_  Say something! Please!" Her voice cracked and she fell into a sob.

Yang immediately turned on her heel and raced over to where Ghira was laying, propped up against a crate, Blake by his side crying into his chest. "Blake, I-"

"What a shame," Adam said, forcing Qrow to move closer. "We'll be needing a new chieftain. What do you say, Blake?"

"Over my dead body," Blake yelled, grabbing the bat with a shaky hand and charging towards Adam.

Something cut through the air. "I wouldn't do that, Blake." The sword, now pointed at her, knocked the baseball bat aside.

Blake let it tumble out of her grasp. "This needs to end  _now_."

"I agree, my love."

Yang knelt down beside Ghira, looking up at Blake every few seconds. There was a bullet wound in Ghira's right shoulder, blood soaked into his clothes. Thinking fast, Yang unwound the bandage she'd covered her stump with and pressed it against the wound, applying pressure with her hand. He was warm and slick with sweat. Pale. And unable to open his eyes. "Help her," he whispered, voice gruff.

"Let's end this," Blake began. "Just you and I."

Adam lowered the sword an inch, carefully searched Blake's face and then shook his head. "I don't believe you."

The next thing Yang heard was the slicing of air and the dull sound of impact.

She turned to see Qrow lying face down in the sand, Adam with his sword sheathed and his hand in a fist. Yang felt a heat in her chest, an anger inside that she knew she couldn't keep in check.

Yang reluctantly pulled away from Ghira, silently walking forward until she was stood beside Blake, hand dried red with blood. The fox Faunus dropped Qrow's gun and stood, rigid, next to Adam.

"You're gonna pay for this," Yang snarled.

"We'll see," he replied, his hand hovering over the handle of his sword. "Pick up your weapon." He gestured to the baseball bat.

Blake tensed up, sending Yang a pained look, cheeks damp with tears. Bending down, she grabbed the bat and looked up again.

The smirk had been wiped from Adam's face, replaced with an emotionless void. He was silent, staring into Blake's eyes, daring her to look away so he could attack. Yang didn't look away either. She felt like grabbing Blake's hand and attacking him together.

Instead, in her distraction, the fox Faunus kicked her in the abdomen, pushing her backwards, sending her reeling. She managed to keep herself upright despite the sharp pain in her injured side. At her left, Adam noted Blake's concern for Yang and lunged at her, metal colliding with wood. Yang saw Blake wince and hold her own, putting all of her strength into fending off the attack. Eventually Adam let out a laugh and pulled back, Blake stumbling back.

But this wasn't a movie. She couldn't sit back and watch. She was part of it all, made clear when she was punished for not focusing on her own fight with a punch to the jaw. The fox Faunus had caught her attention. One look at Ghira and Qrow and Yang fell right back into it, circling him, arm up, blocking any feeble attacks he directed her way. A high kick. Deflected just in time. A jab to the shins. Dodged. A knee to the stomach...

Yang jumped back, the sounds of sword swings and thuds across from her pushing her to get this fight over with. She needed to help Blake.

The fox Faunus skipped around, looking for an opening. Yang sent a sharp kick straight for his chest, which he deftly dodged, moving to the side. Yang stumbled, recovering before he could wrestle her to the ground from behind. That wasn't to say he didn't try. Coming up behind her, he advanced swiftly. But Yang twirled around, one leg high in the air, and launched him backwards.

Sand flew up in the air. Yang flew forward, aiming to kick him back again, but he rolled to the left, out of her range, kicking up sand.

"Yang! Behind you!" Blake called.

Turning, Yang caught his fist in her hand, ducked away from his other fist and dug her knee directly into his abdomen.

And she wouldn't let go. Her left arm was tough, it had to be. She'd trained hard enough for two arms, and though using one in a fight definitely wasn't easy, or practical, she knew using those extra weights would do her good in the long run.

Squeezing down on his fist, twisting herself away from his other one every time he tried to land another punch, Yang had nothing else she could do.

Except headbutt him.

It hurt her too, and for a second she felt like she'd collapse, but it gave her enough time to let go of him, clench her fist and pack a mighty punch right in his face.

Still, that didn't stop him for too long.

Both bleeding, they blocked and caught more punches, Yang taking a particularly low blow to her stump, which coerced a hiss of pain from her. She used her wrist to try and push through his defences, both of his arms shielding his face.

She could see Blake struggle to keep up with Adam's manic swings and stabs, forced to run and duck, trying her best to land even one hit on him.

The fox Faunus launched a high kick at Yang, just as she was doing the same. Their legs collided and sent them backwards, before they both tried again, throwing punches and kicks as fast as lightning, both blocking, both breathing heavily, sweating. Yang's hand chopped through his weakened attempt at a block and landed a strong blow to the side of his neck.

For some reason, this made him wrinkle his nose and pull his hood up, a dark expression on his face as he stormed towards her, fists ready.

"That's your weak point, huh?" Yang muttered to herself, warding him off with a kick, followed by a wide swing.

All of a sudden desperate and graceless, the fox Faunus tried a jumping kick, easily deflected by Yang, and strong enough to make him lose his footing. Stumbling, he began falling forward.

Yang took his hand before he reached the ground, winked, and swung him around, let go, grabbed his hood while he was dazed and snatched it off his head. Finally, after blocking a quick attack from him, Yang came down hard on the side of his neck, just below his jaw, with a precise punch. Almost in slow motion, he lost balance and dropped to the ground.

Yang wiped sweat from her forehead with her forearm, catching her breath, but there was no time to lose. Blake and Adam were still locked in a heated exchange and the closer Yang got, the more she wanted to join in.

Blake was bleeding again, from both her injured side and a new cut on her cheek. The baseball bat was doing nothing to fend off the brutal, chopping attacks that Adam sent her way. What was even worse was how delighted he looked while doing it. He was enjoying himself, narrowing his eyes whenever Blake managed to dodge, or chuckling darkly when she didn't.

Yang couldn't bear to watch it. Intense, overwhelming anger boiled deep down inside her, like nothing she'd felt. At least... not since the night all of this had begun. When she'd stumbled upon a scene very much like the one in front of her now. Adam dominating Blake, doing his best to hurt her and enjoying it. Doing whatever he wanted to her because she was  _his_.

It all felt the same to Yang.

With a sadistic smile, Adam stepped back, catching Blake off guard. Yang, without thinking, rushed into it, scowling at the knowing smile on Adam's face as he swung his sword through thin air.

"You lasted longer than I thought you would."

"Go to hell!" Yang spat.

"Yang, leave!" Blake quickly yelled, holding the baseball bat in front of her face. "Go back t-"

Adam, angered, brought his sword down hard, chipping small pieces of wood away from the bat. "You disappoint me."

"There's no way I'm leaving you alone with him!" Yang said, shaking her head.

When Blake blocked another incoming slice, Yang leapt into action, running around them, hoping to distract him. But their fight continued, Adam slashing away, Blake dodging.

The only thing Yang could think to do was...

Bracing herself, she clenched her fist the hardest she'd ever clenched it, the muscles in her arms tense and sore, and took a run up. It was risky, pretty stupid,  _really_  dangerous, and yet none of those things mattered to Yang.

Blake did.

A yell rumbled in her chest as she took the run up, watching Adam and Blake land blow after blow, never stopping. Her legs seemed to move all on their own, and the last thing she saw, as she was making that sprint towards him, was Blake. Blake, glancing over at her, away from the attacking Adam, horror in her eyes.

Her fist collided with something.

As she fell, she couldn't tell what it was she'd managed to hit. All she could hear was Blake calling her name.

Her mouth watered and she opened her eyes. It felt like she'd been falling for a long time, but she wasn't very far from Blake at all. Sand had cushioned her fall, and she could see Adam's sword a little way off, sticking up out of the ground.

The only thing was, he was still holding onto it.

She'd thrown herself at him to try and separate him and his weapon. And she hadn't even managed that.

"Why did you do that?!" Blake cried, kneeling down beside her and helping her up, throwing down the bat while she was at it. "What were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't," Yang admitted, coughing.

Blake furrowed her brows. "Clearly."

The sun disappeared from the sky, an odd chill invaded the air, and Adam rested his sword on Blake's shoulder. "Blake."

Yang looked Blake in the eyes, squinting. She was shaky, one of her hands resting on Yang's shoulder. Her expression, though, was neutral. It was her eyes that told Yang everything.

Yang's hand, already half buried in sand, took the biggest handful her fingers could grab. On three, watching Blake gulp down her anxiety, Yang threw sand up into Adam's face.

He staggered backwards, giving them time to run, Blake barely managing to scoop up the bat. Yang frowned, stepping back, pulling Blake with her. Adam soon recovered, swinging the sword in front of him, staring them down. He looked deadly. Blood dripped from the very end of the blade onto the sand.

Throat dry, Yang glanced from the sword down to her stump, feeling dizzy and confused. Adam smiled.

A threat.

Every nerve in her body aflame, Yang looked at Blake, then at Adam, and then sprinted towards him. He waited for her, sword held towards the ground at his right. Lifting his arm up as fast a lightning, he bought the blade down towards Yang as she came closer. She was quick to dodge to the side, but Adam was even quicker. His arm was able to recover from the first swing and bring around another, wide, horizontal slice, that Yang, by some miracle, rolled underneath.

Blake looked on, stunned into silence.

Yang threw a punch, an admittedly weak one, which Adam sidestepped away from. For a while he simply walked away from her as she attacked. She knew he was probably laughing at her on the inside, using her strength against her, trying to tire her out.

Yang was about to glance over her shoulder at Blake, but before she could, Adam slid the sword across her left arm. It burnt and stung and when she looked down, blood dripped from a thin cut.

"I would run now if I were you," he warned. "Before I decide to cut deeper."

Yang scoffed. "Do you wanna talk or fight?" She held up her fist, ignoring the slight pain in her arm. "Pick one, tough guy."

Seeing red, Adam took Yang's words seriously, taking two strong stabs towards her, then a vertical slice and a desperate swing as she jumped away. Yang swung around, diving out of the way once again, frantically looking over her shoulder for Blake.

She was no where to be seen.

There wasn't time to worry. Adam lurched forward, blade an inch away from stabbing Yang through the chest. She took a deep breath and moved backwards, but he kept coming.

There was anger in every brutal swing of the sword.

Another stab forwards. One Yang wasn't fast enough to dodge. Her hand grabbed the blade, prying it away from her chest. Adam forced it forward, making it bite into the skin of Yang's hand. Gritting her teeth, tears in her eyes, Yang slipped and fell away, blood running down her arm.

Now Yang was on her back, breathing heavily, while Adam stood over her, sword slick with blood. "Pathetic," he said, looking her up and down. "How could you ever have hoped to beat me?"

Yang almost went to kick him between the legs... before he moved out of range to her left. "I'm not dead yet," she argued, searching his face.

"Let's see how long that lasts," he said, not even finishing his words before throwing the sword down into the sand, barely an inch from Yang's shoulder.

She propped herself up on her elbow and shuffled through the sand backwards, struggling with just one arm. She had no other options. Adam was above her, keeping her pinned to the ground, unable to move her legs without him following her, as if he were her shadow.

He roughly stabbed the sword down towards Yang's arm, and she twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade. It went deep into the sand, and with a grunt, Adam pulled it free again. A second later he stabbed down again, next to Yang's neck, missing by an inch.

Yang kept moving, digging her way away from him, only to be chased and attacked with even more ferocity. It didn't take her long to realise he was toying with her. If he wanted to stab her over and over again, there was nothing stopping him.

The blade nicked her on the shoulder the next time he plunged it down, a grimace on his face.

"Blake is gone," he taunted. "It was only a matter of time until she left you." He caught Yang hard on the arm, making a deeper cut than last time. "Left you just like she left me." Thrusting down the sword another three times in quick succession, he chuckled. It was mocking, and Yang let out a groan of pain. "Look at you. The one-armed abomination," he continued, grunting every time he was forced to pull his sword out of the sand. "It's no wonder she l-"

_Thwack!_

A weight was lifted, and sun shone down, harsh in Yang's eyes. Adam fell forward, his sword remaining stuck in the sand. With a thud, he hit the ground beside Yang, face down. Yang looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and then up at Blake, who was shaking with anger, tears in her eyes.

"Blake!" Yang cried, propping herself up awkwardly. Blake looked at her, then lowered her eyes and let the baseball bat fall from her hands. Without a word, or even a look, Blake threw herself at Yang, right into her waiting embrace. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Blake?!"

"No," Blake murmured close to Yang's ear, nuzzling her face further into the crook of her neck.

"Huh?"

"No to both questions."

Yang frowned and held her close, asking nothing else of her. The uneasy feeling plaguing her hadn't faded just yet, and Yang kept her eyes on Adam's unconscious body.

All Yang knew was that they needed to get Ghira and Sun back to Kali as soon as possib-

Something grabbed onto Yang's leg.

"That won't work a second time," Adam said, burning holes into the both of them with his intense glare, using Yang as leverage to pull himself to his feet.

"What th-" Yang cried, kicking at him. Blake shot up, eyes wide, expression soon turning to one of fury alongside fear.

Adam's eyes were heavily lidded, barely open, and after Yang had pulled herself and Blake away, he was having a hard time standing on his own. "You can't beat me."

Yang, now standing, having grabbed the baseball bat, rushed to Blake's side. "Wanna bet?"

Adam, stumbling to his feet, eyed the sword left standing up in the sand. Blake looked at it too, glanced at Yang and ran for it.

Just as Adam had anticipated. He ran, as fast as he could in sand, and landed a kick at the small of Blake's back, launching her forward into the sand, a little way away from the sword. When she tried to crawl towards it, determined, he grabbed her by both feet a-

_Thwack!_

He got a baseball bat to the kneecap. Courtesy of Yang.

While he roared in pain, holding his leg with one hand, bending over to try and grab a handful of Blake's hair with the other, Yang whacked him again in the back, just underneath his shoulder blade. The distraction allowed Blake to get on her feet again, making another rush towards the sword.

Adam wouldn't have it.

He tripped her, despite the evident pain in his leg, pulling her backwards, holding up his arm to defend himself from any attacks Yang could send his way.

So instead, Yang kicked the back of his legs, bringing him down to the ground.

"That's what you get for manhandling my girlfriend!" she shouted, using the end of the bat to prod him in the back. He bent forward, feigning defeat, and allowed Blake to crawl away.

It didn't last long.

Quickly, he turned on Yang and snatched the bat out of her hand, jabbing it into her chest when she leaned forward to grab it back. Standing, he used to bat to provoke Blake, swinging it towards Yang's head.

"No!" Blake screamed, lunging at him from the left, Yang going in from the right. Blake kneed him between the legs, grabbing a hold of his collar with both hands. The baseball bat dropped to the ground. Yang watched Blake block an attack, land her own on the side of his jaw and then let him go, throwing him away from her. Her stance, with both hands up, didn't do much to block Adam's next attack. Blake was pushed backwards, straight into Yang, who took her by the shoulder and gently straightened her up.

If they were going to do this, it was together.

Yang tossed Blake forward, back into the fight, and followed after her. She circled behind Adam, confusing him. Blake on one side. Yang on the other. He let out a frustrated grunt and kicked back at Yang. It missed. He held up an arm to block an attack from Blake, counterattacking by smashing her in the face with his left fist.

Blake had no reaction. Of course she hadn't. It wasn't the first time Adam had done such a thing to her.

Yelling, Yang jumped at him, hooking her arm around his neck from behind and wrestling him to the ground while Blake used the opportunity to land three consecutive hits on his face, throat and chest, rounded off with a kick to the jaw.

"Blake! The bat!" Yang cried, holding him down as best she could. He was dazed, yet still fighting.

Blake, just as dazed as Adam, though for different reasons, shook her head a little and picked the baseball bat up from behind her. Silently, she walked towards them, jaw clenched. Slowly, she raised the bat. "Maybe it will work a third time."

_Thwack!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god. as somebody who sucks at fight scenes, this chapter nearly killed me. literally.
> 
> i think this is the longest chapter i’ve written for this fic. i don’t know how i feel about it.  
> …i really hope it’s good lol.
> 
> i also really hope you guys enjoy this super long chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

“Blaaaaaake!”

Blake turned, crashing right into Yang as she came to a stop just behind her, arms open wide. Books fell out of her arms and slid across the floor. With a sigh, she bent to pick them back up. “Hi, Yang.”

Yang picked up three books, excitedly handing them over. “I’ve been looking out for you all day!” She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “This place is bigger than I remembered. No wonder I never saw you before."

“I was good at blending in.” Blake straightened up, holding her books close to her chest. “How was your day?”

“Lame,” Yang didn’t hesitate to say, shrugging. “Until I saw you, obviously!” She flashed her signature grin and leaned in for a hug.

Blake frowned. “Not here.”

“Blake... are you okay?” Yang asked, stepping back. The worry and hurt in her eyes made Blake look away. Making Yang feel this way was  _not_  what she wanted. She couldn’t bring her down with her.

“Hey! Yang! Blake!” A red flash, soon revealed to be Ruby, flew through the hall towards them, waving both hands.

Yang caught her sister before she had a chance to crash into the wall. “Hey Ruby!”

“Hi Ruby,” Blake said quietly.

“Sorry I’m late! Weiss needed me for something!”

“ _Something_? _That’s_  what you’re going with?” Yang teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Who’s Weiss?” Blake cut in.

"My girlfriend!” Ruby exclaimed, earning a laugh from Yang. “Uh, my friend who’s a girl! A female friend, who happens to be a girl...”

Blake opened her mouth to say something, gave up, and looked to Yang. “New girl.” Yang shrugged. “Kinda cranky but once you get to know her she’s cool.”

Ruby beamed. “And rich!”

It got quiet.

“Ruby has a crush on her,” Yang said, breaking the silence.

Blake frowned a little. “Because she’s rich?”

Ruby puffed out her cheeks. “No! Because her hair is soft and white as snow, and she has a cute voice when she’s not yelling at me, also her eyelashes are suuuuper long and she changes the colour of her nail polish every week! Oh! And her lips are this  _really_  nic-”

Yang threw an arm around Blake. "Sounds like something from your cheesy romance books, eh? Eh?”

“She didn’t deny it.”

“What?”

“Ruby does have a crush on her.”

“Uh... yeah, Blake, I just said that.”

“Your dad’s okay with that? Both of his girls being... you know?”

Yang looked at her blankly. “Yep.” When Blake looked down at the floor, Yang tightened the arm around her waist. “Actually, it was us that helped Ruby accept it... sooooo...”

“Are you serious?”

Ruby blushed. “Yup!”

Blake forced a smile. All of this, after she’d been neglecting Yang and rejecting any affection sent her way ever since they’d returned from Menagerie. Granted, it had only been a week since they’d left, though it felt like longer.

Much longer.

Leaving the safety of the island had been tough. Leaving her parents had been tougher. And leaving behind her fear and paranoia, like she’d planned, hadn’t worked.

She still found herself catching movement out of the corner of her eye and snapping her head around. Seeing shadows everywhere, hearing noises in the dead of night, alone in her bed, so tense and stiff that she hardly slept most nights.

Having Yang close would be...

No. That’s what Blake was trying to avoid. However jumbled her logic was, however much she ached to hold Yang close, to kiss her without feeling like she had to look over her shoulder each time, she had to keep Yang at a distance for her own safety.

It didn't help that Yang was eager. Always happy go lucky. Everything that had happened in the desert, and everything in between them returning to Vale... Yang had taken it all in her stride. Laid back as always. Blake envied her sometimes, but loved her for it all the same.

Being with Yang was the only time Blake could relax. Even reading was becoming hard. That’s when she knew she was in trouble. Reading had always been her safe haven. With that gone, she was lost.

“Earth to Blake!” Yang called, waving her robotic hand in front of Blake’s face. “We’re gonna go for ice cream, wanna come with?”

Blake blinked, noticing the desperation in Yang’s eyes. It was the third time in two days that Yang had asked her out. “No, I... have things to do. Sorry.”

Ruby looked at Yang out of the corner of her eye. “Right! You have a bunch of work to catch up on, right? We understand!”

“Mhm,” Blake mumbled.

Yang’s smile didn’t look like the one Blake had fallen in love with. “It’s cool! There’s always tomorrow!” she said.

They said their goodbyes, Yang notably  _not_  leaning in to give Blake a kiss on the cheek like she had the previous day. Despite her attitude, Blake couldn’t help the ache in her chest when her girlfriend strolled off with Ruby, talking far too loudly about ways to ask Weiss out on a date.

She was being selfish and stupid, she knew that, but keeping Yang out of danger was what she needed to do. If that meant she had to push her away... it was something she had to bear.

The walk back to her small apartment from the university was brisk, the slight chill in the air sending a shiver down her spine. Stepping up to the door to the building, she took two good looks around behind her, then entered.

She scaled the stairs, came to her door and hurriedly unlocked it, rushing inside and slamming it shut. For a moment, she leaned back against it, taking deep breaths as if she’d been running.

The apartment was modest, not meant to be permanent, but most importantly; not remarkable in any way. The building was a mundane one, tucked away between two larger buildings. Just what Blake wanted.

Cardboard boxes were still stacked up next to the door. Getting back into school, dealing with her current mess of a mental state, on top of the awkward turn her relationship with Yang had taken, had all caught up with her and she hadn’t had the time, or the patience, to unpack much at all. Her books, the television she’d bought from home and a few other bits and pieces had been unpacked by Yang and Ruby. She’d told them both to leave the rest to her, knowing that she didn’t have the energy.

After setting her books down, she tied her hair into a bun and sighed, moving into the bathroom. The make-up she’d thrown onto her face, literally, that morning didn’t do much to cover the bags under her eyes. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, shook her head and removed it.

The evening crawled along slowly, the apartment turning different colours as the sun set. Blake lay on her side on the couch, holding a book with one hand and trying to get comfortable. Every so often, she could hear the other residents returning, locks unlocking, doors slamming. Her feline ears were even more sensitive than usual, flicking up at every tiny sound.

In the end, she gave up and put the book to the side, clamping her eyes shut and begging for sleep. Or Yang... 

Blake tucked herself into a fetal position, heart racing. Yang was... everything. But Blake had pushed her away too many times, and deep down she knew it was only a matter of time until even someone as caring and understanding as Yang gave up and broke up with her.

They hadn’t even had the chance to do anything a real couple would do. Fighting crazy exes and almost dying multiple times  _didn’t_  count.

Blake wanted the normal things. The little things like holding hands or cuddling... but even now, after everything seemed to be over, Adam wouldn’t let her rest or be happy.

Blake had decided that Yang deserved better. The only problem was that Blake wasn’t prepared to break it off herself. She was in love with Yang, of course she wasn’t prepared to let her go. That said, until the shadow of Adam had faded, Blake couldn’t see herself being able to relax and enjoy herself. And that wasn’t fair to Yang.

She passed the time by staring at the wall, attempting to read again to no avail, before settling on closing her eyes and thinking of Yang.

It was nearly ten before she knew it, having completely forgotten about eating anything. Stomach growling, she rubbed her eyes and stood up. Bed was the only place to go. Not that she’d get any sleep, but the bed was more comfortable, and she felt just a little bit safer wrapped up in blankets.

She brushed her teeth and turned off the lights, shuffling down into bed. She’d closed the blinds and the curtains in her bedroom and covered her entire body with blankets, until only her head poked out of the top.

Something outside made a noise, and her right ear twitched. A bird. Another noise, louder. A group of people walking by. It went on like that for a while, Blake unable to switch off her built in security system for long enough to fall asleep.

Eventually, the darkness of the room slowly lifted, small slithers of daylight poking through the curtains. Birds chirped outside and a new day began, quiet and serene.

Unfortunately, Blake had a pounding headache when she got up from another sleepless night. Agitated, she undressed and stepped into the shower, watching droplets slid down the glass as the water hit her back.

Feeling a little more alert, she washed and dressed herself, slipped her books into her bag and took a few bites of an apple before heading out.

The day was uneventful until she saw Yang after class. She’d been sat on the bench in the courtyard, pretending to read. Secretly hoping Yang would walk by and see her.

“Blake!”

Her eyes darted up to meet Yang’s. “Hey.”

Yang sat down beside her. “Whatcha reading? The usual?”

“Catching up on an assignment.” Blake’s feline ears twitched, heart racing.

Yang stared at her carefully. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve be-”

“Yang!” came a deafening yell from the opposite side of the courtyard. Whoever it was was hidden by the growing crowd of students. "Yaaaaang!"

“There’s Nora,” Yang said to herself. “Wait a second!” she then yelled back.

Blake’s ears shot up. “Oh.”

“She owes me a rematch of our arm wrestle from the other night,” Yang said, grinning and pretending to roll up her sleeve.

“I see...” Blake muttered, flicking over the page in her book, fighting the twinge of jealousy and guilt she felt in her chest. Yang had introduced her to her friends a few days ago. It had ended with Blake declining Yang’s invitation to a party and a night of moping alone in her apartment.

“Catch you later?”

“Sure,” Blake said, forcing a small smile. “Have a nice time.”

For a second it looked like Yang would kiss her, but then she stopped and got up. With a wave and a worried look back at Blake, she ran off into the crowd.

A few minutes passed, Blake still sat there on the bench, reading and rereading the same sentence in her book. Her eyes skimmed over the top line, before a drop of rain fell right next to where her thumb sat. It bled into the page, another droplet falling a second after.

Blake huffed and closed the book, shoving it into her bag and running through the courtyard.

She hurried home and into her apartment, dripping wet, and immediately struggled out of her wet cardigan and jeans. After changing clothes, she sank onto the couch and resumed reading. Or trying to.

Her thoughts kept coming back to Yang. She hadn't invited Blake along with her and Nora, which may have been understandable after her recent behaviour, but still stung.

"What am I doing?" Blake whispered and set aside her book. With nothing else to do other than watch the rain pour down from the large window across from her, Blake sat still, holding her knees to her chest and sighed.

Breaking her own heart was bad enough, but she was breaking Yang's too.

The rain carried on through the evening, coming down heavier and heavier. Blake had wrapped herself up in a blanket, keeping her ears open for any noise out in the hall. A long time sat in silence, listening out for strange noises wasn't doing her any good. She felt on edge, an indescribable feeling of doom following her around like a dark cloud.

Not long after loud thunder rolled in the distance, she decided to climb into bed and imagine things were better.

The clock on her dresser ticked in time with the rain, thunder roared outside and a bolt of lightning lit up the room for a split second. A moment after that, she heard footsteps thudding through the hall, muffled and indistinct, but still there. Blake tensed beneath her blankets, shifting her eyes to her bedroom door.

It was just another resident coming home late. It happened all the time.

But this time, the footsteps stopped abruptly, the floorboards out in the hall creaking. Blake frowned and sat up slowly, ears flicked up. The footsteps continued, getting louder, and then there was a knock on her front door.

Immediately, she got up, pushed open the bedroom door and silently flicked the light switch on, creeping over to the kitchen to grab a knife.

Maybe she was being irrational, or dramatic. Paranoid,  _of course_. But she couldn't risk the person on the other side of that door being Adam. Quietly, she moved closer to the door, hovering her hand over the lock, listening out. There was another knock.

"Blake?"

Blake widened her eyes and unlocked the door, swinging it open. "Yang?"

"Thought I was gonna rust out there!" There Yang stood, long hair drenched, clothes dripping on the carpet, metal hand outstretched towards the door. Despite that, she was smiling, until she saw the knife in Blake's hand. "Whoa! Blake, what are you doing with that?" She raised her eyebrows. "Do I... wanna know?"

"Probably not," Blake mumbled, peeking out into the hall and then pulling Yang into the apartment by the hand. "I'm sorry." She put the knife back in the drawer and took a deep breath. "I thought you were somebody else."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, I figured."

"I'll get you a towel." Blake felt sick to her stomach, heart pounding. She disappeared into her room, returning with a clean towel.

Yang took it. "Thanks." Then, she sat down on the couch and dumped the towel on her head, wiping her face.

"Why are you here?" Blake asked, hesitantly sitting next to her.

"To see you," Yang replied from under the towel. "But I've gotta admit,  _not_  feeling the love right now."

"I'm sorry."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

Blake kept her mouth closed, watching Yang dry herself. Afterwards, she pulled it off her head, hair covering her face. Blake, despite her best efforts, couldn't help but laugh. "How am I supposed to take you seriously when you look like that?"

Yang slid her hair back into place, revealing her grin. "So I  _can_  still make you smile!" Sure enough, Blake smiled and looked down at her hands. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"You acting weird."

"I'm fine."

"Don't believe you." Yang hung the towel on the back of the couch and leaned back. "Ever since we got back to Vale, you've been freaking out."

"I'm... just tired."

"I know you, Blake. I know when something's wrong and something's  _really_  wrong. You answered the door with a knife in your hand and you keep looking over there when you think I'm not gonna notice." Blake opened her mouth to protest. "You did it just then."

"I'm not doing anything! I haven't been sleeping and-"

"He's gone," Yang said quickly.

Blake let her whole body relax. There was no point in pretending. "I can't believe that."

"If you let me help yo-"

"I can't do it." She looked down. “I’m afraid to turn on the news in case I see him on there."

"Blake..."

“This all seems too good to be true, Yang. I’m not used to things being  _good_.” She didn't cry, she felt too numb. "Whenever anything was going well, with my parents or with you... he'd show up to destroy it."

Yang sat forward. "You think he's gonna hunt us down again."

"I  _know_  he is."

They both fell silent for a moment.

"My uncle called earlier," Yang said quietly.

"And? What did he say?"

"Same thing he's been telling me every other time I've talked to him in the past week," Yang replied. "Adam's locked up." Blake looked down. "We're safe now. He can't hurt us anymore. Even if he could, do you really think we'd let him?" With a smile, she shook her head. "I know it's hard to believe. I'm still trying to get my head around this whole back to normal thing too."

"You're doing a lot better than me."

"Nope. Not really." Yang leaned her arm on the back of the couch and tilted her head back. "Did you know that the police were hunting him for two years? You should've seen Qrow's face when he woke up and heard the news."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it's what you need to hear, right? That there's no way the police are gonna let him go." Yang tried a small smile. "My uncle's never told me much about what he does, he mainly just calls it 'police stuff' and dodges questions, but he told me about Adam. That has to mean something."

Blake stared at her. "Like what?"

"Like... I dunno, that he was important? Now that he's been caught, things can go back to how they were."

"I'm not sure I know how things were. I was with him for so long I can't remember life before him."

Yang nodded. "Okay, then we'll start over." They stared at each other for a while, Yang sending Blake reassuring smiles and holding her hand. "I miss you."

"I'm right here."

"You haven't been." She looked over at Blake, hurt. "To be honest, I thought you were getting ready to dump me."

"What?!"

"So... you're not, right?"

"No! Yang, of course not. Why woul-"

"I love you," Yang interrupted, cheeks flushed.

Blake's words jumbled up into a string of nonsense as they left her lips and she had a hard time stopping the room from spinning. Her heart hammered in her chest and the only thing she could think to do was dive forward into Yang's arms. They fell back, Yang banging her head on the arm of the couch, Blake's face buried into her cleavage. Groaning, Yang shifted underneath her. "Yang! Are you o-"

Blake's lips were taken in a clumsy kiss before any more words could come out. Yang then pulled away, breathing heavily, staring Blake in the eyes with a mischievous grin on her face. Smiling back, Blake kissed her again, feeling every shred of fatigue and exhaustion that she'd accumulated over the past few days melt away.

Yang's hands clung to her, brushing along her arms and wandering down to her waist, pulling her as close as she could. Blake just leaned in. Lips, fingertips, toes, all tingling. When she accidentally let out a soft purr, Yang pulled away from the kiss, laughing. Blake narrowed her eyes and yanked Yang back in, connecting their lips again. She took the lead, while Yang's hands absentmindedly grabbed her behind. The kiss deepened, but she could still feel Yang smiling into it, tilting her head, lightly nibbling on Blake's bottom lip whenever she had the chance.

Hot and bothered, Blake had to pull away, red in the face. She couldn't look Yang in the eye. "You're so wet."

"Can you blame me after that?" Yang teased, winking.

" _From the rain,_ " Blake replied, struggling not to laugh. "You should take a shower."

"Aww, but I wanna keep going!" Yang pouted but Blake raised an eyebrow. "You gonna jump in with me?"

With a smile, Blake pushed herself off of Yang and shook her head. "I'm okay."

"Suit yourself," Yang said, getting up and stretching. Casually, she messed around with her prosthetic, pulling it off her arm after some fiddling. She started walking away, suddenly stopping and giving Blake an embarrassed look.

"I have clothes you can borrow," Blake said, smirking.

She stayed exactly where she was while Yang showered, watching the rain slid down the window. It was windy outside and pitch black besides the small dots of light in nearby windows. Somehow, though, Blake's fears had vanished as soon as she'd seen Yang standing outside her door. All of a sudden Adam seemed like a far off nightmare.

He wasn't gone from her memories, and he didn't need to be. Memories faded. So long as Yang was by Blake's side, she was sure the bad could be replaced with the good.

"Hey, Blake, what do you think?" Yang said, striking a pose. Blake turned to look at her. She was wearing the t shirt Blake had lent her, the one with a cartoon cat face on the front. "Pawsome, right? Right?"

"Is it too tight?" Blake said, purposely ignoring the stupid pun.

"Just around the boob area," Yang replied, tugging at the collar a little. "Otherwise, it's pawsome!"

"I heard it the first time."

"But you didn't laugh!"

Blake rolled her eyes and stood up, walking over to her. "I love you."

"If you loved me you'd laugh at my jokes," Yang teased, opening her arm for a hug as Blake came closer.

Warmth enveloped Blake as she held onto Yang, arms wrapped around her shoulders. Yang's left hand rested on her waist, bodies pressed together. There was nothing better. Not to Blake.

They stayed that way until Yang yawned and Blake, laughing, suggested they go to bed.

Blake tugged Yang along to the bedroom, interrupted by a kiss or two on the way. They eventually settled down, Yang sleepily filling Blake in on Ruby's awkward encounter with Weiss earlier that day and boasting over winning the rematch arm wrestle against Nora. Blake watched her, smiling, not wanting to fall asleep just so she could listen to her rant on about more trivial things - despite being exhausted and ready for at least a week of non-stop sleep, preferably joined in bed by Yang through all of it.

Unfortunately, Yang quietened down, making up for it by being the big spoon to Blake's small one. Her left arm draped over Blake's hip, her lips close enough to Blake's ear to tickle it every time she breathed. Occasionally, she'd press kisses to Blake's neck and leave her wanting more.

"The offer still stands," Yang whispered, prompting Blake to open her eyes.

"What offer is that?"

"You know, the one from when we were in the hospital."

Blake shifted and rolled over to look at Yang. "You don't mean..."

"How about it?" She grinned. "It beats living in this place on your own."

She thought for a moment, Yang gently taking her hand in hers. She'd never thought she would escape Adam alive. His hold on her had been so tight, for so long, that living a life free of him hadn't been an option she'd been prepared to see. Yang had changed that, like she'd changed everything else.

Blake had never been so certain that Yang was all she needed to be happy.

"I'd love to move in with you," she said slowly, smiling so much it hurt her cheeks. She heard Yang make an excited noise and lean forward in the dark, nearly missing, but pressing her lips against Blake's.

"Ruby's gonna love this!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this is the last chapter. i had soo much other stuff i wanted to include in this fic but my plans changed halfway through. there was going to be a lot more white rose and weiss was actually going to show up but me being me, i went with the flow rather than keeping my original plans.  
> i just want to say thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read this story and i really hope it's been worth it. it was my very first RWBY fic so i've been figuring stuff out as i go. it's been nice to read your comments and try to improve my writing. i really really do appreciate every single person who has commented/left kudos or just been a silent reader.  
> like i said, there is some stuff i wanted to do in this fic that could be made into a sequel at some point. blake, yang and ruby living together included! i left adam's fate unclear on purpose. didn't want to give him a disney villain death.  
> anyway i really hope you guys have enjoyed this story! i'm already working on a few ideas. i love this fandom a lot! <3


End file.
